The Gift
by TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne
Summary: Raven receives a strange gift on her 18th birthday, one that could have a profound effect her life, and Beast Boy's life as well.
1. Chapter 1

OK, I have to admit this chapter is only a teaser.

But what isn't a tease is that I have been persuaded by my fellow writers on team ZorkaberryPie, producers of 'Ganguro' to not give up writing. So with much fanfare I am announcing 'The Gift'.

What is the 'The Gift' about? Well, it's a BBxRae story (duh!), and hopefully you will find it to be a different kind of story. It won't be an adventure story, so don't expect a lot of epic battles. There will be some fighting of course, but what this story will focus on are the uncertainties of both life and love. Of feeling powerless when facing the inevitable and yet coming to terms with it, which is something we all have to do.

"What's the catch?" you ask? Well, it's quite simple; I won't start publishing until the Friday after Thanksgiving. Think of it as a Black Friday Special you won't have to line up for at 3 AM. And to top it off … it's free!

I will update the story every Friday, that's my commitment to you my readers. And I promise to finish it, even if nobody reviews.

Now you are no doubt thinking that it's a long time to wait. If you do feel that way, let me know. You might be able to persuade me to start posting sooner; it's all in your hands.

But I'm not entirely heartless, so I will provide you with a sneak preview.

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Raven dashed into the common room with Starfire at her side. As the doors slid open she was overwhelmed at the sight that greeted her. This was only the third birthday party anyone had ever thrown in her honor. The first one she had been unable to enjoy for reasons that were obvious. The second one, her 17th, had been a low key affair, as she had requested.

But this time all she could do was gasp. The common room was decorated in a completely over the top fashion, to the point where it was unrecognizable. There were streamers and garlands hanging everywhere along with banners proclaiming the anniversary of her birth.

A long table had been set up in the middle of the room. To her surprise Raven saw the beaming faces of the Titans East and most of the honorary Titans. The place of honor was reserved for her at the head of the table and it was flanked on both sides by Kole and Bumblebee, who beckoned her to come and sit down. Still overwhelmed by the unexpected crowd Raven took her place at the table. As soon as she was seated she scanned the table's occupants until she found him. Beast Boy was seated between Aqualad and Speedy at the far end of the table and she could see that they were engaged in some playful banter.

It was then that Raven suddenly felt alone. She was in a room that was crowded with her best friends. Colleagues she had more than once fought alongside with and even on a few occasions had fought against. They all smiled at her and she could sense their feelings of goodwill and friendship. There were sporadic shouts of congratulations that were tossed in her direction. On the surface it made no sense at all, how could she feel so lonely in this crowd?

Raven looked down the table a second time and when she did they locked eyes with each other. He smiled softly and winked at her. She felt her cheeks warm and looked away.

It was then that it finally hit her. It is said that often we cannot see the forest because of the trees. The obvious can elude us even when it's right before us, staring us in the face. The self evident can often be buried deep in denial and Raven knew that there had been much of that lately. She had convinced herself early on that what was happening between her and Beast Boy was little more than a youthful crush; something that was not meant to last. But as the months had passed she came to understand that it was more, much more.

Turning to Bumblebee she placed a hand on the young woman's shoulder.

"Karen, Kole, would either of you mind giving up your place? There's someone … special …I would like to have sit next to me."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Well, that's all for now. See you on Nov 26!

P.S.

To those who are kind enough to review, I promise to acknowledge in the "Mail Bag" which I will revive for this story.


	2. The Birthday Girl

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Greetings readers! After receiving your overwhelming response I have decided to post chapter 1 in its entirety before Thanksgiving Day. Enjoy!

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It had been an unremarkable battle, but that was usually the case when the Titans confronted Plasmus. It had been a textbook mission from the beginning. As usual the poor man who served as Plamus' host woke from his artificially induced slumber as the advanced circuitry that controlled the chemical cocktail he slept in malfunctioned due to a defect in the system controller's software. Cyborg complained, suggesting that perhaps the contractor that was responsible for the system should be replaced with one that had a semi competent team of programmers. He went into a diatribe about how they were using the wrong embedded real time operating system for the task, suggesting they use the one he used, pSos, in the T-Car and his many other creations.

Raven rolled her eyes and replied "Yeah, that's what I was gonna suggest."

The tin man's complaints were of no uae as Plasmus quickly escaped from the high security prison and made his way into the city. The five heroes prepared themselves for the unpleasant take that awaited them and gave chase to the sewage monster.

While it wasn't difficult to defeat Plasmus it was always a tedious task. The objective of course was to get the host, the anonymous man about whom little was known, to sleep. Over the years Robin and his team developed different tactics and tools to accomplish this, but unfortunately the sultan of slime would quickly adapt and they would no longer be effective. On those occasions Raven would send her soul self into the creature's body as a last resort and fortunately that never failed. The grey sorceress didn't relish sending her spirit into the fray but always did it without complaint when it became necessary.

On this particular occasion the Titans had no new tricks up their sleeves and decided to improvise. First Beast Boy plunged into the viscous creature's body and morphed into an electric eel, hoping to knock the host out with a powerful electric shock. Unfortunately he didn't get close enough and Plasmus absorbed the powerful shock before angrily ejecting the changeling who landed on the street, covered in ooze.

"Oh gross!" He complained as he tried, in vain, to wipe the pungent slime off his body.

Cyborg took advantage of Plasmus' distraction with Beast Boy and threw a nearby car at the walking sewer. The vehicle became embedded in Plasmus' body and the impact ruptured the gas tank. The fuel was ignited by a few stray electrical charges that remained from Beast Boy's previously failed attack. A powerful explosion followed and after the smoke cleared the mysterious host was lying on the sidewalk; knocked out cold.

The explosion sent the monster's purple bodily ooze flying and the 5 Titans found themselves coated with the disgusting slurry.

"This is most unpleasant!" Starfire was the first to comment as she also attempted to clean herself, which proved to be an exercise in futility.

Beast Boy had been facing away when the explosion happened. Raven had not been so lucky and had taken the full blast frontally. Beast Boy watched as she wiped a thick layer of an indescribable, lumpy coat of something that looked like it belonged in a toilet bowl off of her face.

"I think I'm gonna hurl." She croaked as she began to heave.

"Raven, are you OK?" Robin asked, already knowing the answer while the others quickly backed away from the nauseous sorceress.

"Eeeww!" The other three Titans shrieked as Raven bent over and tossed her cookies.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The five Titans were still coated in the noxious slop as they approached the new apparatus that Cyborg had installed outside the Tower. He called it the "DePlasmulator".

"It looks like a shower." Raven commented in her monotone. "Is this really gonna work?"

"Would you prefer that we do what we've always done, just use an electric power washer? " Cyborg replied, clearly offended. "Trust me sister, I guarantee this will work. It's quick and thorough. Let me show you."

Cyborg stepped into an oversized stall, one that he had clearly designed for himself. He turned a knob and streams of water shot from all directions, pulsating while scrubbing the nasty ooze away. Satisfied that the smelly scum had been completely removed he shut it off.

"See it works; after that all we'll need is a regular shower to wrap it up."

Beast Boy shook his head in disagreement.

"Dude, it looks like a carwash! We aren't made of tin like you are."

"Hey don't knock it grass stain, you don't even have to take your clothes off. You'll be clean enough to walk into the Tower."

"I'll give it a try." Raven droned in her monotone. "Anything to get this disgusting muck off of me."

She removed her cape and kicked off her boots tossing them into a trash can before stepping into the nearest stall. She cautiously turned the knob … and shrieked. She jumped out of the stall with an angry look on her face.

"Beast Boy's right, it is a damn car wash! It hurts, I'm lucky to have any skin left."

Puzzled, the cybernetic man checked the plumbing.

"Oops, I forgot to turn down the pressure on the regular stalls, sorry Raven. There, it should be OK now. Try it again."

The sorceress balked at the invitation and furtively glanced at Beast Boy. The changeling smiled back at her.

"I'll give it a try." He volunteered.

The changeling stepped into the stall after kicking of his own shoes. He turned the knob and the watery massage began. The others watched as the sludge slowly but steadily dissolved and fell from his costume.

"Guys, it's great!"

Starfire and Robin hopped into their own stalls while Raven continued to watch.

"Come on Raven! It's fine now!" Beast Boy shouted.

"I don't know…" Raven replied, still feeling a stinging sensation all over her body.

Beast Boy's shirt had been torn during the battle and he pulled it off, casting it aside. He was now 17 years old and had begun to develop a nice muscular shape in his torso. Raven had noticed this some time before and she had to admit to herself that the changeling had become 'easy on the eyes'. She definitely preferred his lean athletic build to Robin's now bulky, Batman-like figure. As he turned around she became transfixed with the six pack he had developed and her surroundings vanished as the only thing she saw was his attractive frame. Mesmerized she savored the sight of his green, glistening and muscular chest. Suddenly she felt a metallic hand gently lifting her jaw and closing it in the process. Cyborg was looking at her with a knowing smirk on his face. Rolling her eyes she jerked away from him and quickly stepped back into her stall. After wiping away the drool that had dripped out of her mouth she turned the knob, reactivating the scum remover. This time the warm jets of water were soothing as they massaged the noxious goop away. As soon as she felt better she opened a telepathic link with Beast Boy.

"_Gar! What were you thinking putting on that show? You know I'm not ready to tell the others! Cyborg practically knows now!"_

The changeling replied over the link.

"_**When are we gonna tell them Rae? I hate sneaking around!"**_

Beast Boy though he could hear Raven sigh over the link.

"_Soon Gar, I promise it will be soon. Just bear with me, OK?"_

"_**You aren't ashamed of me, are you Rae?"**_

Raven shut off the valve in her stall.

"_Of course not! You know better than to even think that. I just need to prepare for it. It'll be soon Gar, I promise."_

Beast Boy shut off his own cleaning unit.

"_**It's OK Rae; you know I'll do whatever you feel comfortable with."**_

"_Thanks Gar, now let's go inside. I need to finish cleaning up. It is my birthday today after all."_

"_**And we're going to throw you the most awesome party ever Rae! You're 18 today!"**_

Raven and Beast Boy were the last Titans still outside as the others already gone inside to finish cleaning up. The Chromatically Challenged Couple™ walked back together, taking each other's hand clandestinely as they walked through the door. Raven grimaced as they entered.

"We still both smell like a latrine." She moaned. "I hate Plasmus."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Raven sighed with relief as she entered the sanctum of her room. To the others it was as inviting as a crypt, but Raven found her unusual room and its "creepy" contents to be satisfying, even comforting. After locking the door behind her she stripped naked and tossed her leotard and underwear down the incinerator chute, knowing well that they were no longer salvageable from the stench that permeated them. She trudged into the shower and flipped the valve open. She sighed with relief as the massage of hot raindrops showered down upon her grey skin. At first she merely stood still as her tension was washed down the drain, which she stared at with a Zen like dispassion, feeling oneness with the stream that caressed her body. After an indeterminate amount of time she snapped out of her trance and reached for her bottle of herbal shampoo. She unscrewed the pump mechanism from the bottle and proceeded to pour the cleansing solution directly onto her head, feeling it drip over her scalp.

As she absentmindedly scrubbed her violet locks Raven's thoughts began to wander, and they wandered to the same place they always wandered off to lately. The surprise.

It had been just 3 months before during an unremarkable mission, a bank robbery. They had subdued the thieves with the greatest of ease and were in the process of handing them over to the police. The usual throng of looky-loos, autograph seekers and the plain curious had assembled to gawk at Jump City's super hero guardians. Robin and Starfire were mobbed by the usual assortment of fan boys and girls. Beast Boy was working the crowd and did it well as he signed autographs and posed for photographs with the fans. Raven, as usual, kept her distance and interacted with neither the police nor the fans. As she watched Robin motioned to her, indicating that they were done with the police and he then gestured towards Beast Boy. She nodded and walked over to the changeling.

"It's time to go Beast Boy." She droned in her monotone.

He acknowledged her with a smile. He then turned and addressed some fan girls who were still waiting for their turn to pose with the green superhero.

"Sorry ladies, I gotta run." He apologized with his signature grin, his lone fang poking out as it always did.

"Beast Boy, you aren't going to let that witch boss you around?" One of the fan girls complained.

"Excuse me?" He replied. "Are you talking about Raven?"

"Duh!" The girl replied. "Why do you guys have her on your team anyway? She's so creepy and nasty. She's ugly too."

Raven had overheard everything. While she was seething inside her face did not betray it and she did not react.

Beast Boy reacted differently. Raven smiled as she rinsed her hair. He had not been as discreet with his reaction to the rude remarks made at the sorceress's expense. As she soaped up her loofah she recalled how once again he had been her hero. Raven always prided herself on her independence and rationality. Yet every time those traits failed her he was there, her knight in shining armor, coming to her emotional rescue.

After dinner that night she had gone to his room to thank him for standing up for her. That was when the surprise happened. She asked him why he always stood up for her. The answer was not what she had expected.

He had told Raven that he was in love with her, and had been in love for a long time. After uttering his confession he turned away and stared at the floor, his face sporting a bright red blush.

Raven also felt the color rise in her normally achromatic cheeks. Then she surprised not only Beast Boy, but herself.

She had kissed him. And not a sisterly peck on the cheek, but a passionate one on the lips.

She sighed happily as she rinsed the soap off her body which she had rubbed raw with her wash cloth, satisfied that every single molecule of Plasmus's wretchedness has been extirpated from her dermis. She recalled that first kiss, which she replayed over and over in her mind, until she was interrupted by a loud rapping on her door.

"Raven! Have you completed the cleansing process?" Starfire shouted through the locked door. "We are ready to commence the celebration of the anniversary of your birth!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Raven dashed into the common room with Starfire at her side. As the doors slid open she was overwhelmed at the sight that greeted her. This was only the third birthday party anyone had ever thrown in her honor. The first one she had been unable to enjoy for reasons that were obvious. The second one, her 17th, had been a low key affair, as she had requested.

But this time all she could do was gasp. The common room was decorated in a completely over the top fashion, to the point where it was unrecognizable. There were streamers and garlands hanging everywhere along with banners proclaiming the anniversary of her birth.

A long table had been set up in the middle of the room. To her surprise Raven saw the beaming faces of the Titans East and most of the honorary Titans. The place of honor was reserved for her at the head of the table and it was flanked on both sides by Kole and Bumblebee, who beckoned her to come and sit down. Still overwhelmed by the unexpected crowd Raven took her place at the table. As soon as she was seated she scanned the table's occupants until she found him. Beast Boy was seated between Aqualad and Speedy at the far end of the table and she could see that they were engaged in some playful banter.

It was then that Raven suddenly felt alone. She was in a room that was crowded with her best friends. Colleagues she had more than once fought alongside with and even on a few occasions had fought against. They all smiled at her and she could sense their feelings of goodwill and friendship. There were sporadic shouts of congratulations that were tossed in her direction. On the surface it made no sense at all, how could she feel so lonely in this crowd?

Raven looked down the table a second time and when she did they locked eyes with each other. He smiled softly and winked at her. She felt her cheeks warm and looked away.

It was then that it finally hit her. It is said that often we cannot see the forest because of the trees. The obvious can elude us even when it's right before us, staring us in the face. The self evident can often be buried deep in denial and Raven knew that there had been much of that lately. She had convinced herself early on that what was happening between her and Beast Boy was little more than a youthful crush; something that was not meant to last. But as the months had passed she came to understand that it was more, much more.

Turning to Bumblebee she placed a hand on the young woman's shoulder.

"Karen, Kole, would either of you mind giving up your place? There's someone … special …I would like to have sit next to me."

Both girls cracked huge smiles. Bumblebee was the first to get up.

"It's about time Raven." She replied gleefully.

As Bumblebee stepped away Raven looked once again at her "secret" beau and they locked their eyes a second time. She subtly nodded at the chair next to her. She could see him mouth the word "Really?" She softly nodded in reply as she opened a telepathic link to him.

"_I'm ready Gar."_

To his credit Beast Boy kept his cool and walked casually to the head of the table where he sat down next to Raven. At that moment Cyborg got up and headed off to the kitchen.

"You're gonna love the cake I made for you Raven." The tin man was unable to contain the excitement in his voice. "It's my latest and greatest creation! 12 layers and six different flavors!"

"Wait Cyborg." She interrupted him. "Before you bring out the cake, there is something I want to share with everyone here."

The table fell silent as she had captured their attention. She carefully stood up and quietly and quickly made eye contact with each one of her guests. Most of the honorary Titans had an expression that was a mix of confusion and anticipation. Bumblebee had taken Beast Boy's original spot and was whispering into her teammate's ears, and they soon were sporting huge grins.

But when she focused on her own teammates she knew that within her immediate team her secret was anything but. Starfire looked as if she were about to explode with joy while Robin and Cyborg were sporting happy smiles.

Whatever hesitation she might have been feeling evaporated as she knew she had long since passed the point of no return. After clearing her throat she took Beast Boy's hand and giving him a gentle tug she invited him to stand next to her. Without releasing his hand she faced her friends and addressed them.

"Friends, first of all thank you for surprising me, I really wasn't expecting all this. But before I blow the candles out on my birthday cake there is something I want to share with you…"

Raven looked down the table at the sea of curious and even anxious faces.

"As you all know I'm a demoness and people sometimes expect certain things from me... for instance, they expect me to be cold. They expect me to be dark and foreboding. Sometimes they even expect me to be … evil. Time after time I have heard people say these things, and although you've always reminded me that I wasn't like my father - I heard them often enough from others to the point where it became hard for me to believe otherwise. After all, who could ever see anything good within someone born to do anything but?"

She paused and gave Beast Boy's hand a visible squeeze.

"It was then that I began to expect things from myself, bad things. I expected I would spend my life in solitude. And I expected I would never find love … because I believed that I was unlovable. But … as I've come to find-some things cannot be assumed too quickly. Sometimes, people surprise you... they look within you and see qualities that you may be blind to ... and in so doing... change everything entirely..."

Raven choked back a sob before continuing.

"It was because of all of you that I learned that I was worthy of being loved as I experienced the fraternal love of your friendship. I know that for many of you this is something you take for granted in your lives, but believe me when I tell you this; it was a big deal for me."

Raven paused to sniffle.

"But now I have something more to share … I have crossed over a new threshold, and it's thanks to someone who is especially dear and precious to me. Someone who over the years has cared about me in ways I never thought I could ever experience, even though I rarely reciprocated his gestures of friendship and love. I am ashamed to admit that I have tried to keep this a secret from you my friends, but no more…"

Raven looked up at her guests.

"Friends, fellow Titans … I want to introduce to you … Garfield Logan … my boyfriend."

The table erupted into a raucous cacophony of applause, cheers and even some hooting. Then suddenly from the far end of the table someone shouted 'Kiss! We want to see you kiss!'

Beast Boy raised his free hand in an apologetic gesture.

"Sorry folks, not this …" But was unable to complete his reply as Raven locked lips with him. The assembled heroes continued to hoot and holler their approval.

Eventually the young couple separated. Beast Boy had a look on his face that bore witness to just how happy and elated he was feeling. Raven was blushing profusely and somewhere in the distance the sound of an exploding light bulb could be heard. After catching her breath she spoke up.

"I think we're ready for that cake Victor."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Two hours later Raven was opening the last of her presents, which had been many as each one of her guests had given her a splendid and unusual gift. Most of them were strange and unique artifacts, many of which looked like something out of an Indiana Jones movie. She was touched that everyone had made such an effort to find her such interesting presents. She had been expecting getting a bunch of gift cards to trendy retail outlets and bookstores.

Beast Boy's gift had been especially touching: a miniature reproduction of Azarath, which levitated just like the original. The changeling had somehow convinced The Herald into taking him there to find the ideal gift for his sweetheart. Raven had placed it in the middle of the other presents, in a place of honor.

After she opened the last gift she thanked everyone for their thoughtfulness. It was then that Cyborg pointed out that there was one more gift and handed it to her. Raven examined the box carefully. It was wrapped in a shiny violet wrapping paper and had a red bow.

"Who is it from?" She asked.

Cyborg shrugged.

"I don't know. It came with a card." He replied.

There was an envelope taped to the box and Raven gently pulled it away. There were no markings on the envelope to indicate who the sender was. She opened the envelope and removed the greeting card it contained. As she opened it she saw the only words it contained:

"_Happy Birthday from your fan club"_

Raven frowned as she examined the card.

"Since when do I have a fan club? This is the first I've heard about it."

Beast Boy shrugged.

"Who says you don't have one?" Cyborg interjected.

Raven unwrapped the box and opened it.

"Huh, I've never seen one of these before." She commented with a hint of surprise in her voice.

Beast Boy peered into the box, which contained what in his opinion, was the ugliest, nastiest ceramic figurine he had ever seen. It had four arms and a huge erect phallus, while its face had a gruesome expression.

"What the hell is that Rae?" He asked unable to conceal the disgust in his voice.

"I have no idea." She replied.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The nice thing about post a teaser chapter is that when one posts the first real chapter there is material for the mail bag!

**still too old for this** – "Well my friend, a nice start. Enough to peak my interest (like you could do anything else). A bit of romance, a hint that there is more to come, some ominousness (is that a word? Have to look it up) because it's Raven's 18th birthday and all birthdays for her are...curious."

_As you have already seen in this chapter is a __**very curious**__ birthday._

**Shyguy1** – "This was a good story. It was very poetic and you could almost imagine time slowing down as Raven realized this, kinda one of those things M. Night Shamalan would put in his movies. Anyway, it was a good read. Keep Writing Space Cowboy."

_LOL! You aren't the first to make that comparison. And I see you are a fellow Cowboy Bebop fan! _

**emotionalpoemgirl** – "Yay! You aren't leaving! -Happydance-"

_Thanks! It helps to hear this!_

Love it so far and now can't wait 'till thanksgiving!

_Now you won't have to wait so long._

**Author Penholder** – "While I will not be reviewing every chapter, I review stories when they're finished, I wanted to stop in and let you know that *puts on creepie voice* I'll be watching. mwahahaha!"

_I'm looking forward to any reviews you send my way._

**GreenRock** – "It's great to feel the power of the Force's return.

I think - because of the genre intended for this story - that it will be very interesting to see the direction this story will travel. As everyone knows, your strength in writing action-packed scenes is impressive and is one of the many reasons that (I feel) you gained an audience . . . in conjunction with being a brilliant writer, of course.

I for one - along with the rest of your audience I'm sure - will definetly be attentive as to what 'The Gift' is going to involve and bring out another writing style that I'm sure you've saved, in particular for this story."

_I hope to not disappoint in this regard. Thanks!_

**Ferlion12** – "Welcome back. Sounds like an interesting story."

_I promise that this will be different from my previous work._

**Thowell3** – "I am Interested to see where this goes. Keep up the good work."

There will be some unexpected twists. I hope I can keep you interested!

**FelynxTiger** – "WOW you came back , thanks for bringing us another amazing and wonderful story looks so sweet and lovely , i Always get in awe with your stories and this is no exception , hopefully a lot of people review this , the beginning is an interesting introduction , well done , i was listening Teenage Dream by Katy Perry while listening this XD and in some part i get the luck that when i was reading the part where Beast Boy send a wink to Raven the song says : "My heart stops When you look at me " lol"

Thanks! I always appreciate your comments.

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** – "Yahoo! Awesome teaser right there, and yeah the feelings between Gar and Rae is so much deeper, haha reminds me of my mum and my late dad, hopefully this would be their life story ;) "

_This will definitely be a romance story, hopefully the deepest one I've produced. It will definitely have bitter moments._

**bk00** –"aw! how sweet! I really can't wait and I hope you really don't stop writing! Your way with words is amazing, and you one of my top 10 inspirations on this site! Please don't ever stop (and if you ever do, I expect your own original novel to be announced at some point in time) Really excited, going off to write some more! Thanks for posting this! "

_Thanks! As I have already said here, I hope to not disappoint._

**KingofRandom117** – "Interesting."

_Wait until you see what 'The Gift' does. _


	3. The Visitor

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

This chapter is a day early. Enjoy!

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The entire room became quiet as Robin, Cyborg and Starfire approached Raven and looked into her gift box. Starfire's expression was confused and she kept looking back and forth between Raven and the figurine, as if expecting an explanation. Robin frowned while he shook his head and Cyborg had to stifle a guffaw.

"What kind of fans would send you something like this Rae?" Beast Boy asked.

"I don' know. Maybe they aren't fans. Maybe this is some kind of sick joke." She replied as she studied the grotesque gift.

The green changeling snatched the box from his now publicly known sweetheart.

"It is sick, so let's just toss it." He said as he made his way to the garbage chute.

Raven stood and ran after him.

"No Gar, wait, I want to figure out just what sort of figurine that is."

Beast Boy stopped in his tracks and gave her a funny look. He was next to Kid Flash and Jinx, who both looked into the box. The supersonic lad gave a long whistle after he and his girlfriend examined the box's contents.

"Come on Raven, you have a boyfriend now, you don't need this thing." Kid Flash teased her and immediately was slapped on the side of his head by Jinx.

"Wally, you can be such as jerk sometimes!" Jinx reprimanded him as he continued to grin.

"Thank you Jinx. You saved me the trouble." Raven added as she gave Wally one of her signature deathglares.

"You're welcome Raven, but please feel free to smack him if you want. He's had it coming for a while."

"Jinx! Whose side are you on?" Kid Flash protested as he retreated to what he hoped to be a safe distance from Raven.

The sorceress took the box back from Beast Boy and closed it.

"My interest in this figurine is entirely professional Wally, so get your mind out of the gutter. And as to what Gar and I do behind closed doors." At this point her eyes were glowing red "It's none of your business, so watch your mouth, I might not be so forgiving next time."

Raven appeared to relax as she put the box down with the rest of her gifts. Taking Beast Boy's hand she then turned towards Cyborg.

"I thought this was supposed to be a party. Where's the music and dancing?"

Cyborg grinned and tapped on a few buttons on his forearm. The lights in the common room dimmed, a disco ball popped out of the ceiling and dance music began to play. The mood in the room was instantly transformed as Starfire grabbed Robin's gloved hand with a vise like grip and dragged him out onto the dance floor. They were the first ones and all eyes were on them. He quickly realized that there was no declining her invitation and they began to dance. Soon enough most of the heroes joined them, with Raven and Beast Boy standing at the sidelines.

Raven gave her beau's hand a squeeze. She looked up into his eyes as he was now almost a whole head taller than she was.

"So, tall, green and handsome, are you going to ask me to dance?"

Beast Boy helped Raven carry her mountain of gifts back to her room after the party was over, which was no small feat. As they entered her room she gestured with her hand and over a dozen candles lit themselves, basking her abode in a soothing amber glow. She placed her presents in a neat and organized pile in the corner of her room, except for the mystery gift which she left on her desk. Beast Boy pulled a second chair up to the desk as Raven collected a few books from her bookcases and placed them next to the gift box. He opened the box and frowned as he looked at the 'gift'.

"We should just throw this thing away Rae, it looks evil. I have a bad feeling about it."

"We will Gar, but I want to learn more about it first. And don't worry, I haven't sensed anything unusual about the figurine" She replied as she began to flip through the pages in the first book.

Beast Boy shook his head.

"Maybe you don't sense anything, but my animal senses are going bonkers. Why are you being so stubborn Rae? I mean look at this thing! Who sends something like this to someone they admire? I think it's an insult, and it might even be dangerous."

"I'm not being stubborn Gar, and yes I know it's from someone who's unfriendly, the phallus is more than indicative of that. I just want to know the origin of the figurine."

Beast Boy sighed. He knew that when his brainy girlfriend went into scholar mode that there was no stopping her until she was satisfied with her research. He sat silently as she flipped through the pages of the books she had piled on her desk. After poring through several tomes she stopped and stared at a yellowed page in a book that was so ancient and fragile that it looked as if a mere sneeze would disintegrate it. On the page there was a similar looking figurine, without the phallus, drawn in ancient ink. The text on the page was unknown and unreadable to him.

"What does it say?" He asked.

"It's in ancient Sumerian. It says they were used to deliver messages."

"Messages?"

"It says here that they have holes drilled in them where you could insert a small scroll, usually in the back. If you ignored the message you would be cursed."

"So where's the message?" He asked.

"It probably doesn't have one. Whoever sent this to me probably bought it at an antique shop and selected it because of the phallus. I'll bet they had no idea of the original purpose of the figure. Still, I suppose I should check if there is a message in it."

Raven reached into the box and wrapping her fingers around the figurine she grasped it. As soon as her skin came into contact with the statue she felt a searing burning sensation permeating throughout her hand and work its way up her arm. The intensity of the pain she felt escalated and to her alarm she discovered that she couldn't release the offending object. She tried to ask Beast Boy to help her but found herself to be completely paralyzed, unable to even speak as she felt the invisible flames begin to consume her body.

"Rae, are you OK?" She heard his voice call out to her. It sounded muffled and distant and was beginning to fade. Raven felt a surge of panic shoot down her spine and summoned every ounce of her willpower in a futile attempt to regain control of her body. It was then that she noticed that her room and its contents, including Beast Boy, were beginning to fade away. Soon everything was dark around her and there was not a sound to be heard. It was then that see saw a faint red glow emanate from the figurine. She looked down and gasped as the statue had opened its eyes, which were now four and it was grinning at her.

"Let me … go." She groaned as she struggled to regain control of her body. As she fought against the evil force that paralyzed her, a new vista appeared around her, one she was unfortunately familiar with. The sky glowed a dark ominous red and the smell of smoke and sulfur permeated her nostrils. Her motor skills suddenly returned to her control and she was able to stand up from the chair she was sitting on but still could not drop the wretched statue which felt as if it had become grafted to her palm and the burning sensation had not abated.

As Raven looked around she found herself standing on the seashore on the city's mainland. The smoldering ruins of the Jump City skyline stood around her and she saw its citizens turned into stone. The Tower was still standing on the island, a dilapidated ruin that stood tilted like a modern version of the tower of Pisa. Raven felt her heart pound in her chest as the significance of what she was seeing began to sink in. She took several deep breaths to calm herself and had almost achieved her goal when she heard a voice behind her. The Voice.

"Greetings dear daughter, it has been far too long."

Raven whipped around and confirmed that it was indeed him.

"I destroyed you, monster! And do not call me your daughter!"

Trigon stood before Raven in his demonic glory. His antlers were restored and his four eyes glowed a crimson red. He was as tall as Cyborg and had his arms crossed with a smug grin on his face.

"That you did my daughter. I underestimated you. In a way I am proud of you, as no one but you could have defeated me. You're a regular chip off the old block my dear Raven."

Raven cringed upon hearing his voice. She stared at the red skinned demon that stood before her, feeling a wave of disgust and even self loathing course through her veins. Just seeing him made her half demon blood boil in anger and fury. Since the day Raven had vanquished him she had so desperately wanted to leave this all behind, her heritage, the shame and the burden of being the offspring of the abomination that stood before her.

"You're not real." She accused the sight before her through clenched teeth. "None of this is real, it's only a vision. You're dead and this is nothing more than a mirage."

Trigon chuckled. "There is no fooling you dear daughter. You inherited my superior intellect after all, but tell me, why are you in love with the green fool? You are far beyond him, he is unworthy of you."

Even though she knew that the demon that stood before her was an illusion the sorceress lost her equanimity.

"Garfield is not a fool and he is certainly worthy of me!"

Trigon chuckled condescendingly at Raven, who became even more irritated. "You didn't always feel this way about him, so why the change in attitude dear daughter, are we getting so desperate that we're lowering our standards?"

Raven ignored the taunt. "What is the meaning of this pointless illusion?" She snarled as she continued her futile attempts to separate the statue from her hand. "Who are you and what do you want?"

Trigon slowly walked around the angry half demoness, still chuckling.

"Believe it or not Raven, I am your father. It is true that you destroyed me but before that happened I managed to save a portion of myself, a mere echo of my spirit, so that I would not be lost forever."

Raven let a battle cry escape her lips as she lashed out at Trigon. Robin had trained her well in the art of unarmed combat and her strikes were swift and accurate. She went through all of the techniques the Boy Wonder had taught her over the years: jabs, round house kicks, knife hand strikes, side kick, back kicks and spinning heel kicks, but he easily parried her attacks. Panting, she desisted and stepped back.

"If you think you'll be able to conquer Earth you're sorely mistaken Trigon. We stopped you once and we'll stop you again."

"Alas dear daughter I have not returned as a conqueror. As I already said what you are seeing is a mere echo of my former glory, a hollow shell is all that remains of my once mighty self."

"Then what do you want! I am growing tired of this charade Trigon." She hissed at him.

Trigon stared deep into Raven's eyes and a wicked smile curled onto his lips.

"This is no charade Raven. I have returned for a reason, a very good reason in fact." He chuckled.

"Stop speaking in riddles Trigon, what do you want from me?"

"What do I want? Isn't it obvious Raven? You not only stopped my quest for universal domination, you destroyed me, your own father, your flesh and blood."

"You're not my father, not anymore." She hissed. "I have disowned you since the day I destroyed you."

"But I am your father Raven, we are of the same flesh and blood."

"No, we are not, I have found another."

"The changeling? Surely you jest Raven. You cannot be serious about becoming one with him! That would be an abomination."

Raven's felt her ire reach a boiling point and her eyes separated into 2 demonic pairs. She gasped in horror and turned away from Trigon.

You will always be my daughter, even though you betrayed me. And for that you will pay Raven, you will pay dearly."

Raven looked back at Trigon and stared vigilantly at the vision before her and narrowed her eyes.

"I'm not afraid of you Trigon, do your worst. I will prevail."

Trigon chuckled.

"I have placed a curse on you, dear daughter, a curse so powerful that no one can undo it, not even me."

Raven felt a shiver go down her spine.

"What kind of curse?" She asked in a deep menacing voice.

"A separation curse." He laughed. "Your days with the changeling are numbered my ingrate daughter. But don't be angry, I'm actually doing you a favor by separating you from that inferior specimen."

Raven lashed out at Trigon with a speed and grace that even surprised her. With a powerful and perfectly executed flying side kick she knocked him down, where he lay laughing.

"If anything happens to Gar you will pay. You'll regret it, and that's a promise."

Trigon continued to laugh.

"You cannot hurt me Raven, for I am but an echo, a mere reflection of myself. Or have you forgotten that you destroyed me? In a way you are right, I'm not real." He continued to laugh. "I even needed mortal help to get the statue to you. I do have a few loyal followers left on Earth."

At that moment the statue became separated from Raven's hand and fell to the floor, where it shattered into a thousand pieces.

"The curse is complete. Farewell dear daughter and remember, this is the price you pay for your treachery and disloyalty. I was even going to share my dominion with you. I would even have let you keep the changeling as a pet."

"Shut up you monster! I will find a way to break this curse, believe me."

Trigon turned, as if he were preparing to leave.

"There is a way to break the curse Raven, and it's actually … quite easy."

Raven stiffened upon hearing his words. She knew that he wasn't telling her this out of the goodness of his heart and that there was no doubt that there were many strings attached. Nevertheless she was willing to hear him out.

"I'm listening." She replied in her monotone.

Trigon swaggered back to her with a cocky grin on his face.

"It's very easy. You see, the curse is attached to your human half. All you have to do is renounce your human nature and become a full demon. The curse will then be broken."

Raven's eyes opened wide in shock before narrowing in anger.

"I'll die before I do that!"

Trigon and the devastated city began to fade away around her.

"I'm counting on that dear daughter." He replied as he walked away into a thick fog. He paused and turned around.

"Say goodbye to Beast Boy for me." He laughed evilly as he finished disappearing.

"I won't let it happen!" She shouted. "I won't! It can't happen!"

"But it will!" His voice echoed in her head as her room once again began to reappear.

"No!" She shouted "NO! NOOOOOO!"

Raven felt her body go limp and she blacked out for a moment. She then heard Beast Boy call out her name. She opened her eyes and found herself staring into his emerald orbs.

"Raven, are you OK? You went into some kind of trance almost an hour ago. What happened?"

Raven rubbed her head as she moaned. As she became lucid she wrapped her arms around the changeling and held him tight.

"Nothing happened Gar; it was Trigon's idea of a farewell joke."

"Trigon?" He gasped. "But how? You destroyed him Rae, he's gone."

Raven slipped onto his lap and kissed him several times.

"He left a vision behind. There was a message attached to the statue after all."

The changeling held her tight before releasing her and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

"I tried to pull it out of your hand, but it wouldn't budge, it's like it was glued to your palm. Then just a moment ago you dropped it and it broke."

Raven looked at the floor and saw the shattered remains of the statue.

"What was the message?" He asked.

She sighed. While she knew that she would eventually have to tell him the truth she also knew that this was not the time.

"He chewed me out for not being loyal to him. It was kind of a 'frak you' message."

"So that's why the statue had that huge … uh .."

"Phallus." She completed the sentence for him. "But it's over now."

The changeling rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, I guess there was no harm done. Will you be OK Rae?"

Raven looked him in the eyes.

"I'm not sure Gar, I have to admit that it was unsettling to face him again, even if it was only a vision."

"Is there anything I can do?" He asked.

Raven nodded.

"Would you stay with me tonight? I really don't want to be alone."

He cracked a huge grin.

"You mean as in sleep with you?"

"Yes, but I don't mean …"

He covered her lips with his fingers.

"I know what you mean Rae. I'll just run back to my room and change into my pajamas and .."

She placed her hand on his forearm.

"It's ok; we can sleep in our costumes, please don't leave, just stay with me."

"Sure thing Raven, whatever you want." He replied as he kicked off his shoes. "Do you mind if I take my shirt off?" He asked as he wagged his eyebrows.

"I won't try and stop you." She replied as she pulled back the covers on her bed. Soon enough they were under the covers and in each other's arms. They exchanged a good night kiss and within a few minutes, after she had clandestinely cast a sleeping spell on him he was sound asleep. Raven wrapped her arms even more tightly around him, gently caressing his exposed chest.

"I won't let anything happen to you Gar, curses be damned." She whispered quietly to her sleeping lover. "I'll protect you from him no matter what it takes."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It's mail bag time!

**maisie** - "so far so good. I can't tell UNTIL you finish it. You MUST write more! Keep up the good work."

_I'm already working on chapter 6, so the pipe line is full. Thanks!_

**anonymouswriter13** - "This is good so far! I can't wait till you update it :)"

_Thanks, I will update every Friday._

**crazynerd** - "Ohhhh I'm soo excited. I can't wait til the next chapter. I'm getting goose bumps. Hehehe"

_Wow! I don't think I've ever given anyone goose bumps before, at least not with a story!_

**The Cretan** - "First let me apologize. I've read all you're stories but never gave a review. I like your stuff but I didn't give a review because I'm a moron and didn't know how. That's fixed.

On with the review, you have returned better than any Jedi. You have struck back harder than any Empire. I'm not the world's greatest critic but I can't really find anything wrong other than it rocks."

_I'm glad you like it. I will endeavor to make the next chapters even better. _

**titanfan45** - "The Force returns with a vengeance! Glad you're back. You did a great job with describing how Cyborg devised a shower system to deal with the aftermath of fighting Plasmus. Beast Boy's comment that it looked like a car wash was funny. The scene where raven revealed Garfield as her boyfriend was heartwarming."

_Novus Ordo Seclorum helped me with the "speech" scene. I thought it turned out pretty good myself! Thanks my fellow Ganguran!_

**KingofRandom117** - "You know, I never knew you had left/were leaving before this story. I guess that I was reading your other stuff. Anyways, good start, I do believe that this will be most..."Gift"ed."

_LOL! I guess I came back way too soon!_

**GreenRock** - "This chapter definitely does not disappoint as far as the early pieces of romantic prose goes, two or three places were quite humorous – whether that was your intention to add humour or not – all that's left to see are the moments where the 'drama' elements are going to be in this story and what these elements are going to: involve and what they are going to be about."

_You know me, I always try to slip some humor in._

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "Talked about a very F'ed up gift with that disgusting and offensive phallic sculpture. If I were BB I'd smash it to bits and smithereens. Talk about vulgar and offensive."

_As you just read, he tried. Sometimes Raven just needs to listen to him._

**Ferlion12** - "Great first chapter. Something Im wondering, though it may get explained in good time. Any reason the telepathy is different between Beast Boy and Raven as far as font goes, or is it just to tell the two apart?"

_Yes, it's to help readers tell them apart._

"I don't normally review people, but hey. You're a good enough author to warrant it."

_Thank you. That is very high praise._

**Hexpert** - "The Gift isn't from her fan club, is it? =)) Nice reveal, dude. Please update 'coz it's a cool story"

_Thanks! Always good to hear from a reader for the first time._

**FelynxTiger** - "Enjoyable , and cute chapter , the entire version was very surprising along with the end it seems as though the action has just started it, i like the style that you're taking *claps* is super :D until next ch."

As you can tell from this chapter, a bumpy roller coaster ride awaits!

**Bigguido** - "as usual well done looking forward to reading the rest and getting that ingredients for that cake sounded yummy"

_Well, I figured that Cyborg had to improve on the birthday cake he served in "Birthmark". Thanks! _

**Novus Ordo Seclorum** -"Awesome as usual, Force. I have to say that I am fairly excited to see where you decide to take this one. From its inception, you have devoted yourself to being far more descriptive than you have been in the past, and really drawing the most out of your plot and the characters. I think you are doing a commendable job so far! The story has a very solid pace to it, the characters are all behaving believably, and there is an element of suspense to what has been written.

I do hope that you continue your fine work. I think that if you take your time and really pour over every scene and every detail, you will create something truly memorable. If you continue to write with quality in mind, and write for your own enjoyment, we as readers will be the ones rewarded by the fruits of your labor!"

_Thanks, my fellow Ganguran! It is definitely my intention with this story (as it was with the now defunct "Reimagined: Tough Times in Jump City") to write a more carefully crafted story. And yes, I'm having fun writing 'The Gift', which will be different from my other stories._


	4. The Secret

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The sun had just begun to rise, flooding he sorceress's room with its orange beams as it peaked over the edge of the bay, caressing the city's skyline with its warm glow. Raven gestured with her hand and her obsidian power engulfed the drapes and closed them tight, leaving the room once again in darkness. It was a Saturday morning so the typical morning rush was absent as the city itself appeared to be sleeping in on the early weekend morning.

There was an exception to the rule however, someone who should have had a good night's rest but was unable to find it.

A certain gray skinned half demon had woken up several times during the night, each time to anxiously verify that the young green man lying next to her was still drawing breath. Of course every time she woke up he was fine, sleeping peacefully next to her.

Raven knew that her fretting wasn't going to keep Beast Boy safe from the mysterious danger that threatened his safety and well being, but she couldn't get the anxiety that consumed her mind under control. After waking up for the umpteenth time around 4 AM Raven gave up and decided to put her time to better use performing some overdue research into the nature of "separation curses" which she was woefully unfamiliar with. One fringe benefit of her disastrous relationship with the dragon Malchior was the impressive set of magic books she had acquired under his tutelage. She knew that she would find the answer she was looking for, or at least an explanation of what was happening to them.

Raven had spent the wee hours of the morning studying several reference books on curses and had finally zeroed in on a tome that described in detail the nature of separation curses. They first thing she learned was that they were complex curses that targeted couples. Raven found out that a lack of physical intimacy offered no protection against the curse and as long as she loved the changeling that the curse would grip them both in its cold and merciless embrace. The objective of the curse was to inflict emotional pain on a couple by separating them, which was always accomplished by means of death. She also learned that the curse could only be transmitted via physical contact and that whoever had originally cast the curse could remove it.

Upon further reading she learned that death could come in a variety of ways and was not restricted to trauma or injury. That meant that Beast Boy could just as well drop dead with little to no notice, but was more likely to die of a painful and debilitating illness.

Raven looked up from her desk at his still sleeping frame, feeling the despair swell within her. There was no way to protect him, to shield him from the curse's evil grip. Mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted she leaned forward; resting her head on her folded arms on the desk and she began to weep bitterly.

She cursed herself for not listening to Beast Boy and letting him throw the wretched statue into the incinerator. He was now going to die because of her stubborn intellectual curiosity.

She had also confirmed what her father had told her about breaking the curse. The book explained how the curse only applied to humans and could not be cast or be effective against any other beings, including demons.

It crossed Raven's mind that Gar would be safe from the curse as long as he remained in one of his animal forms. This of course was an unacceptable solution as he couldn't stay morphed indefinitely; he would eventually have to resume his human form. The other option, that she become a pure demon, began to loom before her, tempting her with its easy way out.

Raven knew that if she renounced her human side that she would no longer be herself and would transform into a monster like her father. That was also unacceptable as she would no doubt embark on a continuation of Trigon's own work and would conquer the universe. As much as she loved Garfield she could not in good conscious trade the entire universe to save him. She heaved a troubled sighed as it dawned on her that the red bastard had thought of everything.

There was one other way to break the curse: she could kill herself. She knew that such an action would leave Garfield and her friends wounded and scarred for the rest of their lives and that she would have to do it clandestinely as she knew that there was no way her friends would cooperate with her in such an draconian endeavor.

Raven felt hot tears dripping down her face. She had managed to screw things up royally and this time there would be no happy ending.

"Rae, are you OK? You're crying." Beast Boy called from the bed.

The gray girl leaped to her feet and ran to her bed. She threw her arms around the changeling and buried her face in his naked chest.

"I'm so sorry Gar, please forgive me." She whimpered.

"Forgive you? For what?" He asked with a bewildered tone.

She couldn't tell him, at least not yet. There had to be a solution, there just had to be one. And she would find it, no matter what it took. She would search relentlessly and leave no stone unturned.

"For being such a bitch." She sobbed.

Beast Boy noticed that the room was beginning to shake as if an earthquake was in progress.

"It's OK Rae, just relax. That's water under the bridge. You know we've put that behind us."

He wiped her tears away with his ungloved hand.

"C'mon Rae, smile for me. Please?"

Raven breathed deeply to calm herself down and the room stopped shaking. Her father was right; she was a monster just like he was. She couldn't even allow herself to feel without endangering those around her.

"I love you." She whispered to him. "You know that, don't you Gar?"

He smiled at her. "I know. And I love you too Rae."

"Please Gar; promise that you'll never leave me." She pleaded as she choked back a sob.

He chuckled.

"Of course I won't leave you Rae. Why would I?"

Raven tightened her hug around him.

"Will you move in with me Gar?"

Beast Boy's eyes became wide as saucers.

"Rae, I can stay with you anytime you want, you know, when you don't want to be alone."

Before Raven could reply the Tower's alarms began to sound. The two heroes released each other from their tender embrace as Robin's voice could be heard over the PA system.

"_It's Johnny Rancid and he's up to his usual antics downtown. Meet me in the common room."_ Robin instructed his team.

Raven and Beast Boy were ready in a flash as they slipped their boots and missing garments on in a hurry. As they headed out of her room she anxiously took his hand.

"Promise me you'll be careful Gar." She admonished him in a very worried tone.

He flashed his signature grin at her.

"Relax Rae, it's only Johnny Rancid!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As the Titans approached the downtown area they saw the telltale signs of Rancid's presence: wrecked storefronts, light poles lying in the streets, torn up asphalt and of course chewed up cars. Robin and Cyborg were travelling in the T-Car while their team mates flew overhead. Raven and Beast Boy were sharing one of Raven's flying disks and Beast Boy was crouched down on a knee surveying the landscape.

Robin flipped his communicator open and addressed his team.

"OK Titans, Rancid has probably built another robot, so we're doing this by the book: first we take out his robot and then we capture him. Understood?"

"Loud and clear!" The changeling replied. "I'm ready to kick some bad guy butt!"

Raven glanced at him nervously.

"You be careful Gar! Don't get cocky just because it's Johnny Rancid. Remember that Robin broke his arm chasing him that one time."

"Well maybe I'm not as clueless as the Boy Blunder."

"Just be careful Gar." She whispered to him as they arrived at the location when Rancid was last seen wrecking havoc. "Do it for me please."

The changeling gave his girlfriend a puzzled look, but then grinned as he replied.

"You're cute when you're overprotective Rae."

As the changeling was teasing his gray sweetheart Rancid's latest creation made its appearance as it came around the corner. It was a mechanical three headed dragon and each head was busy causing mayhem. The first head fired what appeared to be napalm at a bus loaded with passengers, who screamed in terror at the prospect of being charbroiled inside the bus. Raven raised one of her shields to deflect the deadly chemical which fell instead on the blacktop where it burned harmlessly.

The second head was chewing up cars, some of which still had passengers in them. Cyborg and Starfire attacked the vicious second set of titanium jaws and after pummeling the second head it dropped the car it was chewing on and the civilians were able to get away safely on foot.

Robin was battling directly with the third head, also keeping it away from a school bus full of children on a weekend field trip. The Titans were having a hard time fending off the three heads and were doing everything they could do to protect the civilians.

"He keeps upping the ante with these things." Cyborg moaned as he fired his sonic canon at one of the heads and missed the target yet again. "It seems like they get better and tougher every time."

The changeling recognized that they were in a stalemate and chose to take matters into his own hands.

"GUYS!" Beast Boy shouted. "I'll distract the heads while you take Mr. Big and Ugly down!"

"Gar! Wait!" Raven shouted at him.

Morphing into a hummingbird he darted away from Raven and began to dive bomb at the dragon heads, which immediately forgot about the other Titans and began to snap their razor sharp jaws at the green hummingbird which deftly dodged their attacks as Raven stared in horror.

In the meantime Starfire conjured an oversized star bolt while Cyborg charged up both of his sonic cannons. Robin launched several of his explosive disks while shouting "Titans Now!"

Cyborg fired his cannons while Starfire threw the giant star bolt at the mechanical monster. The ensuing explosion was both bright and deafening and Raven could feel her bones reverberate to the massive shock wave. As soon as the dust settled it was plainly obvious the metallic behemoth had been vanquished. As Robin, Starfire and Cyborg congratulated each other Raven searched frantically for Beast Boy as he was nowhere to be found.

Irrational fear gripped the demoness's heart as she assumed the worst. Without any concern for her own safety she charged into the still smoldering remains of the mechanical monster and using her powers began to remove the mangled wreckage.

"Gar! Where are you!" She shouted unable to conceal the panic in her voice. She picked up the pace and left not a single piece of the machine's twisted remains unturned. But there was no sign of the changeling in any form, human or animal.

Raven stepped away from the wreckage in a full panic and kept calling out for her boyfriend. Her teammates were staring at her with puzzled expressions which she did not notice as she fell to her knees and began to hyperventilate. Then with no warning she felt what could best be described as a heavy finger tap her on her shoulder.

Raven turned around and heaved a sigh of relief as a large green Sasquatch stood before her. Dangling from Bigfoot's right hand was Johnny Rancid, who was twisting and squirming in a futile attempt to escape from the changeling's firm grasp on his shirt collar.

"Well done Beast Boy!" Robin congratulated the changeling as he handcuffed the gray skinned villain.

"Remember Johnny if you do the crime you'll do the time." Robin reprimanded the grey villain.

Rancid spat in Robin's direction but missed.

"I can't believe I lost again to a bunch of stupid kids!" He moaned.

"We're not kids anymore Rancid, we're adults now!" Beast Boy gloated. "And we kicked your sorry butt."

The police had arrived and were leading Rancid into a paddy wagon.

"You're a loser you green freak. I bet you've never kissed a girl!" Rancid taunted the changeling.

Before he could reply to Rancid the doors were shut on the police transport and Rancid was whisked away to the county jail.

"What a jerk!" Beast Boy grumbled as he turned to face Raven. He shrieked as Raven was sporting her four demonic eyes and the worst frown he had ever seen adorn her otherwise lovely gray face.

"GARFIELD MARK LOGAN! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"

The changeling's only response was a bewildered look.

"Did you see how close those jaws got to you Gar? You could have been killed!"

Robin interrupted.

"Raven, I think Beast Boy had the situation under control." Robin interjected as Starfire and Cyborg nodded in agreement.

The sorceress snarled at the Boy Wonder.

"Did I ask you for your opinion Robin? No I didn't, so SHUT UP!"

Robin recoiled at Raven's outburst.

"Raven, is something the matter?" Robin asked her in a soothing voice.

"Of course something is the matter! Gar decided to recklessly play superhero ..."

"But Raven, I am a superhero, and I wasn't being reckless."

The demoness gave her beloved a look that would have scared the devil himself. For a moment Beast Boy thought he could see flames dancing in her eyes.

"Ok, I'm shutting up now."

Starfire stepped forward and placed a calming hand on Raven's shoulder.

"Raven, something is wrong with you, it is most obvious and painful to see. We are your friends, will you not share your burden with us."

Raven calmed down and attempted to relax. She then felt his arms wrap around her and she buried her face in the changeling's chest and began to sob. Robin approached her and also placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Star's right Raven; we're your family. You know that you can trust us with anything that's troubling you."

"Rae, maybe you should tell us about the vision you had." Beast Boy added.

"I want to tell you first Gar." She said before turning to her teammates. "I promise to tell the rest of you when I'm ready."

Robin shook his head.

"Something's wrong Raven, you're being excessively protective with Beast Boy." Robin commented. "He wasn't in any danger, at least not anything more dangerous than we usually face."

Raven turned away from Robin, refusing to look at him.

"Raven, you'll get used to it. I know it took me a long time to stop worrying about Star when we fought villains after we became a couple, but I learned to trust her. I mean why shouldn't I? It's not like she lost her powers or fighting skills just because she became my girlfriend."

Raven shook her head.

"No Robin, it's more than that. But I don't want to talk about it here. Let's go home. I'll tell you about it there." She replied softly in a contrite voice.

Robin nodded and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Now that's my Raven. Do I know my sister or what?" He chuckled and was joined in his laughter by Cyborg and Starfire.

"I'll pick up some pizza for lunch on the way home." Cyborg volunteered. "Just don't start without me."

Raven freshened herself in the privacy of her room, which had an oppressive atmosphere hanging over it. The darkness and shadows of her room, which usually provided her with shelter and comfort, did no such thing this time. Her bed was still unmade and she could still see the outlines her and Beast Boy's figures had left in the bed covers. Putting her hairbrush down she slowly walked over to the side of her bed and picked up his pillow. It still had his scent and she caressed it absentmindedly while she stared at her windows, which were still covered in the heavy, light blocking drapes that kept her room dark no matter how bright it was outside.

Remembering that they were probably waiting for her in the common room she put the pillow down before heading out, uncharacteristically leaving her bed unmade as she walked out the door. She walked briskly down the hallway, still unsure of what exactly she was going to tell her friends. She was still unprepared to tell them the truth but knew that they were expecting an explanation for her unusual, overprotective behavior.

As she walked around the last corner before reaching the common room she began to fret. How would she keep her unsuspecting boyfriend out of harm's way without raising further suspicions? They all already knew that something was afoot, but she could keep up the charade of being the overprotective girlfriend for only so long. Sooner or later Robin was going to tell her to knock it off.

Without being aware of it Raven had reached the doors to the common room. She could smell the pizza through the door's imperfect seal and was reminded once again that they were on the other side and were expecting the explanation she had promised them.

Raven sighed and made a resolution: she would ask Beast Boy to stay with her again that night and would then tell him truth. The others would have to wait a little longer.

Raven could feel the tension in her body and chanted her mantra several times to relax. Satisfied that she now bore some resemblance of normalcy she stepped through the doors which automatically parted open as they always did.

"It's about time you showed up!" Cyborg jeered at her. "It's a good thing the grass stain's your boyfriend and saved some grub for you, cuz there wouldn't be any pizza left for you otherwise."

Raven walked up to Beast Boy and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks for thinking of me Gar, but I'm not hungry." She acknowledged his gesture as she took the seat next to him. Looking up at her teammates she saw the anticipatory looks on their faces.

"Well Raven?" Robin needled her. "So what's going on? This is more than the concern a girl has for her boyfriend."

Raven bit her lower lip and sweat dropped.

"I know I promised you an explanation … but at this moment I'm not ready … I need to talk with Gar about this first."

The Titan trio emitted a collective groan.

"Aw c'mon Raven, spill the beans, why are you so worried about the grass stain? Was it something you saw in your crystal ball?"

Raven sighed.

"Cyborg, you know that I can't see the future in a crystal …"

Raven's rebuke was cut short by the Tower's alarm. Robin stepped over to the console and tapped away at the keyboard.

"It's Cinderblock." Robin announced without looking up from the console. "Looks like you've been saved by the bell Raven, but we're not letting you off the hook so easily. You're gonna tell us what's going on when we get back."

As the five Titans ran out of the common room the changeling and the sorceress locked eyes. He smiled his goofy grin at her.

"Relax Rae, it's just Cinderblock, it's no biggie." He reassured her.

"Wrong Beast Boy!" Robin chided him. "We take every mission seriously, never forget that."

Raven conjured one of her dark disks and taking the changeling by the hand she pulled him onto it as it became airborne. She heaved a quiet sigh, knowing that from now on, every mission was going to be a "biggie".

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I'm in a good mood today so I'm going to post this chapter early. I will post the next chapter on Friday.

And now, it's mailbag time!

Ta da!

**emotionalpoemgirl** - "Well... this get only get interesting. Can't wait for Raven's plan to fix this!"

_She definitely has her work cut out for her!_

**aanaasoo12** - "I hope that you some day write about Starfire and robin, it would be awesome, believe me, I will kiss your toes if you do it, cause i think you have a great unique way to write stories"

_Now that's an offer I've never received before! A pretty girl offers to kiss my feet! Wow!_

**TechnoGlitter ExWhimsicalFairy** - "Never read a Force story before."

_I hope it won't be your last one!_

**punk** - "dude jus read this story and it sounds pretty awesome up date soon xD"

_Your wish is my command!_

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "Well this calls for The Beast to beat the crap outta Trigon, Once you're dead stay **** dead, don't disturb the living. Well the Beast should have disemboweled and dissect every single body part of Trigon to bits."

_Too bad he wasn't there._

**FelynxTiger** - "From smile to gasp , well done with the suddenly change through the chapter it take me for surprise i like it though is keep you glued to the chapter , the ending was center to the Why i adore this couple Nice!"

_Thanks!_

**The Cretan** - "Sorry, if there's any typos that annoy you. My hands are shattered (mining folly), this was typed using pen and patience."

_If only all my other readers were as dedicated as you are. Thanks!_

**titanfan45** - "Raven should have listened to Beast Boy. You did a great job of writing Trigon's part, he and the statue were both beyond vile."

_Woulda, shoulda, coulda. The bane of everyone's life, even superheroes!_

**GreenRock** - "Why am I not surprised that with only three chapters published, the story is already looking brilliant . . . and I'm already hooked? If I have to commend you on anything, it would definitely be your abundant ability to apply a vice-like grip on the reader and make them continue reading what promises to be a gratifying read. With Trigon's looming threat hanging over BB and Rae's relationship, I for one can't see how Rae, BB or any of the other Titans are going to find a way to reverse the curse.

Once again, another impressive chapter - it just seems to come naturally to you - and good luck with the rest of this prose."

_Things are looking bleak for the Chromatically Challenged Couple (tm)_


	5. Cinderblock

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Once again Robin and Cyborg were in the T-Car, and emerged from the island's underwater access tunnel onto the bayside boulevard that ringed the city's bay. Tires screeching, Cyborg piloted the vehicle, weaving through the light early afternoon traffic while Robin was accessing the mission data through the new mobile mission console that the tin man had recently installed in his "baby".

Raven guided her dark disk closely behind the T-Car, flying no more than 30 feet in the air. Starfire had joined them on the flying platform and Beast Boy engaged the Tamaranian in some lighthearted banter while the sorceress stood by quietly without participating. Fortunately for Raven that was her normal behavior, at least when she was in a 'good mood', so neither of her companions said anything to her. She noticed that people along the avenue were waving at them as they flew by. Starfire and Beast Boy were happy to oblige and returned their waves.

Raven marveled at how calm and relaxed he was. Other than Robin he was physically the weakest of the Titans, except when he became the Beast, and that hadn't happened in ages. Yet he seemed so unconcerned about the mission that was awaiting them. If fact he exuded an air of playfulness and was the embodiment of the expression 'joie de vivre'. Her heart sank as she contemplated telling him about the evil spell that had been cast over him, which hung above his neck like an invisible Damocles' sword, threatening to snap the single horsehair that held it in place and fulfill its prophetic duty. What kind of effect would that have on him? Just thinking about his wonderful smile vanishing and being replaced by fear and anxiety tore at her heart until it ached.

Raven watched sadly as Beast Boy and Starfire continued to chat. She felt that she should join in on their conversation and as she cleared her throat to speak up her communicator chimed. Flipping it open she saw that it was her fearless leader. She beckoned Starfire and the changeling to gather around her.

"It's confirmed. Cinderblock broken into a LuthorCorp facility that does military research work …"

"No doubt to steal some of the weapon prototypes." Raven interrupted.

Beast Boy rubbed the back of his neck.

"Isn't that kinda not Cinderblockish?" Beast Boy added.

"Agreed." The Tamaranian interjected. "There must be someone else behind all this. Might it be Slade?"

Robin shook his head. "I don't think so. There've been no intelligence reports on Slade."

"It wouldn't be the first time he stayed under the radar, including ours." Raven commented.

"It doesn't matter who he's working for, we need to stop Cinderblock now. We can't let him get away with those weapons." Robin replied. "Cyborg, how much farther is the LuthorCorp's lab?"

"Almost there." The tin man replied as he stepped on the accelerator, lunging the T-Car forward. They were now in a grimy industrial district, which was full of non-descript, gray looking buildings, many of which were empty. As they rounded a corner they could see the LuthorCorp complex at the end of the street. The campus looked foreboding as it was surrounded by a tall wall made of, fittingly, cinderblocks. Dozens of police car surrounded the complex, their blue and red flashing lights were flickering in the now overcast afternoon. A large hole in the perimeter fence indicated where the villain had entered the LuthorCorp property.

"He shouldn't be too hard to find." Beast Boy remarked. "He's left a trail of breadcrumbs … or maybe concrete crumbs for us to follow."

Robin's voice echoed from Raven's communicator.

"Let's not get overconfident Titans. If he really is working for someone else then he might have a few tricks up his sleeve. Let's just follow our standard Cinderblock strategy: wear him down then knock him out."

Beast Boy grinned at Raven.

"I'm so ready to kick his concrete butt."

Raven gave her beau a stern look.

"Just stick to the plan Gar. It always works with Cinderblock."

Beast Boy replied with a befuddled expression.

"What's the matter Rae? You look kinda worried."

Raven's stern expression morphed into a frown.

"What? I'm not allowed to worry about you? You are my boyfriend in case you've forgotten."

The changeling shook his head.

"There's something you're not telling me Rae. What's wrong?"

The Tamaranian felt that she was imposing on their privacy and excused herself before hopping off the flying disk and joining Robin who was emerging from the now parked T-Car. Beast Boy gave Raven an inquiring look as she lowered her flying disk to the ground.

"I promise I'll tell you tonight. Meet me in my room after dinner, and wear your pajamas." She instructed him. He grinned back at her.

"Another slumber party? I could get used to this!"

As the disk alighted they joined their team, which was being briefed by a Police Captain on what had happened so far.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Cinderblock's trail was anything but subtle. In addition to the demolished fence there was a gaping hole on the side of the main building. As the five heroes entered the structure they could see the path of destruction the concrete brute had left in his wake. There was a trail of demolished furniture that led to the next wall the behemoth had punched his way through.

"He's definitely headed to the weapons lab. We need to stop him before he gets there!" Robin commanded.

"What kinda weapons is Luthor making here?" Beast Boy asked.

"Xenothium power weapons." Robin replied dryly.

Raven moaned her disapproval

"Gee, why stop there? Why doesn't Luthor just make plutonium powered rifles while he's at it?"

"Which is why we have to stop him. We can't let him escape with those weapons or the Xenothium." Robin added as he ran through the second damaged wall. Starfire and Cyborg followed him immediately while Raven and Beast Boy took the rear guard.

"I have a bad feeling about this Gar."

This time the changeling was the one to give Raven his own version of the 'Roth death glare'.

"What's with you Rae? You're creeping me out, big time! Cut it out!"

The sorceress frowned as she muttered an apology.

"Bear with me Gar, believe me, there is a reason why I'm being this way."

The changeling sighed.

"And you'll tell me tonight. Got it." He replied as they ran after their teammates, plunging onto the dark bowels of the complex.

As the five Titans rushed into the maw that Cinderblock had left as his calling card they were able to hear the evidence of his nearby presence: the sound of furniture being crushed and walls being smashed was punctuated by the mindless moans and groans which were the only sounds he ever made. The super powered posse quickened their pace as they hurried through the building. Robin and Cyborg ran while their teammates flew overhead, Beast Boy in the form of a hawk. Soon enough their persistence paid off and they finally caught up with the concrete brute.

Cinderblock was busy trying to rip a reinforced door off of a vault where the Xenothium powered weapons were kept. His tiny mind was so focused on the task that he did not see the Titans enter the large lab where he was.

"Cinderblock! We can do this the easy way, or hard the way, it's up to you!" Robin bellowed at the villain, who signaled that he had chosen the hard way as he lunged at the Titans.

The Boy Wonder met him head on and leaped into the air as he connected a spinning heel kick to Cinderblock's left temple. The brute appeared to be unfazed and attempted to swat at the leaping traffic light, but missed as Robin landed at a safe distance.

"He's stronger than usual, but we can wear him down if we work as a team. Titans Go!"

Starfire and Cyborg pummeled the concrete leviathan with their best shots but the effect was minimal and at first they only served to enrage the brute. Beast Boy morphed into a humming bird and began a series of dive bombs that distracted Cinderblock. The changeling then zoomed above the concrete behemoth who followed the green hummingbird's trajectory with his eyes as it stopped and hovered over his head, safely out of reach even though he made several vain attempts to jump and catch the prize that flitted above him.

As his teammates watched Beast Boy morphed into a brachiosaurus and came crashing down onto the astonished villain.

Cinderblock wasn't the only one who was astonished as the villain caught the huge dinosaur, extending his arms above his head. He staggered momentarily, but regained his balance and threw the morphed changeling against a wall, which crumbled and collapsed, burying the changeling underneath the avalanche of bricks are rebar that followed the impact.

Raven hurried to the pile of debris and using her powers she began to unbury her boyfriend, who had resumed his human form. To everyone's relief the changeling was able to extricate himself from the detritus that had once been a wall, and other than sporting a few bruises he looked fine. Raven ran to his side and helped him to his feet.

"Gar, are you …"

"I'm fine Rae!" He interrupted her. "Stop babying me! We gotta stop Cinderblock!"

As the changeling turned to face their unusually fortified opponent he saw that Robin, Starfire and Cyborg were making some headway in subduing him with their attacks.

"Now's my chance!" He shouted as he morphed into a triceratops and charged at the one man platoon. If this didn't take him out, nothing would.

Raven gasped as the changeling charged at Cinderblock. The scene appeared to unfold in slow motion to her as she watched him slowly morph into the three horned dinosaur form he favored so much. She continued to watch in a mixed cocktail of apprehension, fascination and horror as he slammed into the brute. The impact had an effect on Cinderblock, who stumbled and fell back.

The effect on Beast Boy unfortunately had been much greater and he had resumed his human form while he sat on the ground, clearly stunned and in a daze, utterly unaware of his surroundings and what was happening around him.

Unfortunately the impact did not have the same effect on Cinderblock who was back on his feet and grinning as he looked down upon the still stunned and helpless Beast Boy. He raised one of his huge hands above his head and it was clear to everyone that he intended to smash Beast Boy with what would probably be a fatal blow.

"Nooooooooo!" Raven screamed as she leaped into the air and flew straight towards Beast Boy. Extending her hands she formed a black bubble around him. Cinderblock's granite like palm came crashing down but Raven's force field held firm. The concrete giant repeated the attempt but Raven's dark energy continued to hold. By this point she had reached the would be changeling smasher and connected a flying side kick to his face.

Raven discovered that Robin wasn't exaggerating when he said that Cinderblock was unusually strong as she bounced off the villain. She tumbled away and after regaining control she prepared a follow up attack when she saw Beast Boy point up at their opponent.

"Rae! Watch out!"

Beast Boy's warning came too late as Cinderblock swatted at Raven's hovering form. He connected perfectly as his huge hand traced a perfect arc and sent the sorceress flying into another wall. She hit it with a sickening thud and fell almost 20 feet to the ground. Her body was limp as it tumbled down, landing on the ground in a crumpled heap.

Cinderblock made his escape, empty handed, as the Titans ran to the side of their fallen comrade. Beast Boy reached her first and quickly examined her. Cyborg was the next to arrive.

"Cy! Rae's hurt, she's hurt bad!" Beast Boy wailed, tears flowing down his face.

Cyborg popped a few sensors out of his forearm and scanned her still motionless form. The others gathered around apprehensively, not knowing what to do or say. This was only the second time Raven had ever been injured, not since Adonis became the Beast and kidnapped her. One didn't need to be a medic to see that her injuries eclipsed those she received at Adonis' hands. Robin stared in numb disbelief as he felt his windpipe constrict in fear for his friend's wellbeing. He gazed upon the sorceress's now broken form and he heard Starfire sobbing next to him.

"I won't sugarcoat it guys." Cyborg reported. "Most of her ribs are broken and her spleen's ruptured. Her left arm is also broken and she also has some nasty head wounds, she probably has a concussion. We need to get her back to the infirmary…"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The rhythmic beeps of the electrocardiogram echoed throughout the now solitary infirmary. Beast Boy was sitting in a chair next to Raven's bed. A tray with an uneaten meal was resting on a nearby table, its contents had long since gone cold. The changeling was unshaven and looked disheveled as he had not abandoned the bedside vigil of his beloved in the three days since the incident.

Those had been three long days and the changeling rubbed his eyes as fatigue began to sink in once again. He rose from his seat and began to pace around the room in a vain attempt to clear his sleep deprived mind. He ran and re-ran the series of events that had led to the disaster over and over in his mind. Everything had been proceeding in a textbook manner. Cinderblock had been unusually strong, as he had learned firsthand after charging head on into the behemoth. Raven had shielded him from the imminent danger of being smashed by the villain's massive concrete hands, but that wasn't all that unusual as Raven had saved his butt countless times before.

What had been different was that she physically attacked the concrete golem. Raven had super human strength, courtesy of her half demon heritage, but it paled in comparison to Starfire's own alien strength. What had compelled her to physically attack Cinderblock? All she had to do was continue shielding Beast Boy until he was able to retreat to a safe distance, which he was when she was struck down.

Beast Boy sighed as he looked at her again. Raven was lying in one of the medical stations, was wired to several monitors and had catheters inserted all over her body. She had been changed into a hospital gown and looked even worse than he did. Her left arm was in a cast and her face looked like an overripe, bruised peach. But what pained the changeling the most was her head. She had suffered several lacerations to her scalp when she hit the wall and Cyborg was forced to shear her violet locks away completely in order to sew up her head wounds.

Beast Boy looked away as he sobbed quietly.

"_Why aren't you healing yourself Raven? Why aren't you levitating?"_

The green Titan already knew the answer to his question. She was so weak that she lacked to strength to summon her own healing powers and had to rely on traditional medical procedures to recover some of her strength.

Beast Boy looked back at her and saw that her hair was already beginning to grow back, which gave him a sense of hope that she would recover. Nevertheless it had now been 3 long days and he wasn't sure if he would be able to withstand the wait any longer. Exhausted he sat back down on the chair and closed his eyes, focusing on the rhythmic symphony the ECG played over and over. He focused on the beeps until they were all was aware of. As everything was about to turn into a blur of unconsciousness he noticed that something had changed. It was the ECG, which had slightly picked up the pace, indicating that Raven's heart rate had increased.

He reopened his eyes and saw that she had finally begun her healing trance. Still exhausted and unable to get up he sobbed tears of joy and relief. Finally, mustering all his will power he stood up and walked over to the intercom on the wall and slapped the call button, unaware that it was 3 o'clock in the morning. No one replied and he repeated the calling process several times until Starfire's sleepy voice replied.

"What is the matter Beast Boy? Do you have news about Raven?"

The changeling informed the Tamaranian that Raven had finally commenced her healing trance.

"I am on my way friend." She replied, the excitement clear in her voice.

Beast Boy felt a second wind surge through his body and he returned to Raven's side. He was able to see the improvement in her face as the horrible bruises were already beginning to vanish. He leaned over her and began to gently kiss her face repeatedly and did not notice when the infirmary door opened, nor did he hear his three teammates enter the room.

Cyborg checked her vitals and smiled subtly as he nodded to himself.

"She's gonna be fine grass stain. You're probably gonna be able to take her home tomorrow morning." The tin man now grinned happily. "She's gonna need some TLC though, think you can handle it?"

Beast Boy rubbed his weary eyes.

"Sure, how hard can it be?" He mumbled as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Beast Boy, you're overdue for some sleep. Hit the hay! That's an order." Robin commanded him in a friendly tone. "And don't worry about Raven; we'll stay with her until she wakes up."

The changeling shook his head in reply.

"Thanks, but I'd rather stay …"

He was interrupted by Starfire who grabbing his arm dragged him out into the hallway.

"You need to rest Beast Boy. Raven will need a rested and alert lover when she wakes up tomorrow."

The changeling was about to protest that he and Raven were not lovers, at least not yet. Instead he let it go and thanked Starfire before heading back to his room.

Even though he was exhausted he felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. What just moments earlier had been a hopeless situation was no longer so. Enduring the tension of uncertainty had taken his toll on him and he was grateful that he no longer had to shoulder the burden of not knowing what was going to happen to Raven.

After wandering absentmindedly down the hallway he suddenly found himself in Raven's room. The bed was still unmade from the night they slumbered together and without thinking he kicked of his shoes and stripped down to his underwear before climbing back into the bed, which was saturated with her aroma. The lingering smell of her perfume soothed him and he quickly began to relax.

His last thought was he fell asleep was a simple one, one born of innocence and hope, one he should have known could never be true but always wished could be:

"_Everything's gonna be alright now."_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Another day, another chapter.

Thanks for all the reviews and hits. Sadly, I think that interest in the Titans is waning as the show is no longer broadcast on Boomerang in the USA (good thing I have the DVDs!)

And now it's time to acknowledge my most loyal readers, the ones who write reviews.

It's mailbag time!

**Bigguido** - "wicked the way things are going looking forward to read more curious on how the curse is going to affect both Beast boy and Raven. Sad that there no more cake."

_A bumpy road lies ahead! (Fasten your seatbelts!)_

**punk** - "wow this was good chapter your writing just seems to flow bravo xD and yay you updated haha"

_Thanks! I really have been making an effort to improve my style._

**RoemerMW** - "Glad you decided to continue writing; you're one of the better writers on this site. Usually someone actually using proper sentence structure and writing about a pairing or situation or something that I find at least mildly interesting is enough for me to read and enjoy. But occasionally there's one of those rare special stories, something that truly stands out amongst the thousands of poorly written fantasies on this site. You're one of the few writers here who can and consistently does actually write stories that could stand on their own without the pre-existing characters and plotlines we know and love. You are a damn fine writer, and I hope you stick with it. On a side note, I've never really reviewed until I read your note about leaving and lack of reviews and such, from now on I shall endeavor to review every story I enjoy. Oh, and great story so far, like where it's headed."

_Thank you. Everything you said is truly appreciated._

**xXCanaryXx** - "Yay ur still here. Youve got awesome skillz. Better then some real writers. I'm happy you've written another story! There's..something..about UR writing that is soo..magical"

_Wow! Thanks!_

"I was flippin thru some teen titans bbxrae (since I'm trying to get over my toy story obsession) and i was surprised..no no no...SHOCKED when I saw you wrote a new story... you can't imagine how happy i was... i just..LOVE ur writing.. i carelessly read other stories...which were OK... but when i read yours... i just... was captivated.. I've always loved ur writings and was pretty depressed when i learned u were considering to leave... I'm real happy the Ganguro folks convinced u to stay. Thank you.. for pleasing us with your wondrous stories of the sort.. The Force.. Truly IS Back!"

_It always makes me happy to know I can make someone's day with my humble scribblings._

**The One They Call Shamis** - "So glad you decided not to wait until Thanksgiving to write this. The way this is going it could very well rival Novus' "Collateral Damage" in my opinion. I've been rummaging through ideas on how Raven will stop the separation curse and I must say, I'm glad I'm not in her shoes."

_Now I really feel honored! To be compared to Novus himself! That is something special. Thanks!_

**The Cretan** - "Another fantastic chapter. To me, this looks like your best one yet, though I am fond of Beastboy's Gambit. As always, you never cease to amaze me. Hope to read more soon."

_This story won't be as steamy as Gambit, that I promise._

**crazynerd** - "Wow. I soo want to be mad at raven but can't. I don't blame her for her actions and I'm really curious of how she's going to get out of this deadly situation."

_Poor Raven is going through a rough spot, that much is certain._

**Mortal Guardian** - "I'm intrigued, now, so I'm adding this to my story alert."

_I promise to do my best to keep you intrigued._

**FelynxTiger** - "The care Raven takes for Gar reflect the love she had for him , its seems that how you describe it she love him a lot , the brightness that the story is having its absolutely stupendous:)

C'mon Rae i know u can find a way ! You have to!"

_I am doing my best to keep this from being a saccharine love story. Sometimes we need to experience pain to understand what love is._

**anonymouswriter13** - "NO NO NO THEY CAN'T GET SEPARATED! DO YOU WANT ME TO CRY? You are an awesome writer and PLEASE update soon or i think i might die lol."

_Well, it is tagged as a Drama, so I will do my best to tug at your heart strings. And Thanks!_

**GreenRock** - "I like how you build up tension with every little thing Raven does; with concerns for the 'impending doom' looming over her relationship with BB. Whether it be as simple as the bedroom moments to her reaction to BB after the fight with Rancid.

You seem to be hitting all the right notes with this story . . . so all that's left to say is; keep delivering the goods, they are satisfying every single time."

_Thanks! I like to think that I'm acquiring patience with my story telling. Nonetheless I know that there is still room for improvement. Thanks for your ongoing support._

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "Oh crap, now Gar can't go all gung ho on the villains now no thanks to the bloody curse, but oh well, Gar's gotta try busting villains in an efficient way though instead of the all guns blazing tactic."

_Don't write him off yet!_

**titanfan45** - "As usual Rancid's best wasn't good enough to beat the Titans. Great job describing Raven's worrying over Beast Boy."

_Rancid always makes for a good diversion, but I can't see him being a heavyweight like Slade._

**emotionalpoemgirl **- "raven is more dangerous then most of the villains when she's angry..."

_That goes without saying! Sometimes I think that BB is a little crazy for liking her so much._


	6. The Priestess

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Friend Beast Boy, wake up."

The changeling moaned as he rolled over in the bed, burying his face in the pillow.

"Just five more minutes." He mumbled, still half asleep.

"Beast Boy, it is about Raven. I have news."

The green Titan's eyes popped open and he immediately sat up in the bed.

"What is it Star? Is she OK? Did she have a relapse?" He asked in a worried tone and was now fully awake.

The princess giggled in response.

"What's so funny Star?" He asked, now clearly annoyed.

The Tamaranian stopped laughing and placed a friendly hand on his shoulder.

"She is fine Beast Boy. See for yourself, she is asleep right next to you."

Beast Boy turned and after confirming what the alien had said he relaxed.

"Why is she asleep? Isn't she supposed to wake up after her healing trance is done?"

Starfire patted him on the shoulder.

"Cyborg gave her a sedative after she woke up, as he said that she still required more rest. I brought her back here to her room and helped her change into some traditional earthly sleepwear. She was happy to see you and fell asleep almost immediately after she joined you in the bed."

A smile formed on his face as he gazed upon Raven's slumbering form.

"Thanks Star, you're the best." He said as he stood up and hugged her.

"I welcome you. Now I will leave you with your beloved, as the rest of us need our sleep as well."

The alien slipped out of Raven's room and Beast Boy sat in the comforting silence of her quarters. He gazed down upon Raven, who snored softly as she slept. He visually examined her and was pleased with what he saw. Her facial bruises were completely gone and the cuts on her scalp had healed with only vestigial scarring. Her arm was still in a cast and he recalled how she had been unable to completely heal Robin's broken arm some years before. He chucked as he recalled the topsy turvy adventure that they had when Larry showed up that day. The last thing they needed now was for Robin's crackpot interdimensional "twin" to show up again.

He also noticed that Raven's hair was growing back at a remarkable pace. Even though Cyborg had shaved her bald just three days before she already had what could be called a long crew cut. Beast Boy snickered as he thought that Raven looked like a purple haired Marine. Still, he was mesmerized with her delicate features and realized just how lovely his sweetheart really was, even if she was nearly bald at the moment.

Leaning over he kissed her several times before getting back under the covers. He knew there would be time later to celebrate her recovery.

And to give her a piece of his mind for being so reckless.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Raven stirred as she woke up. The first thing she was aware of was that her ribs were still sore and they reminded her of their state of damage as she rolled over to face her bedmate. Stifling a painful moan she settled down into her new position and gazed at the slumbering love of her life.

Her heart felt heavy as she knew she had to make good on her promise. Bracing herself she shimmied closer to him, ignoring the pain in her ribs. Finally she was close enough to him to lay her head on his shoulder. He moaned softly but did not wake up. As she relaxed Raven gently ran her hand along his side and discovered he was only clad in his boxers. It figured, she chuckled inwardly, that she would be indisposed upon finding him in such a vulnerable "situation". She continued to caress his exposed form and felt a stirring within she had never experienced before.

Raven closed her eyes and sighed. She wished the moment would never end and that she would never have to share the terrible news with him. For now though, she gratefully accepted the deferral and closed her eyes, ready to sleep some more, curled up next to the man she loved. For that is what he was, a man, her man.

Raven wasn't sure how much time had passed as she kept drifting into and out of sleep, when she heard his voice.

"Good Morning."

She opened her eyes and saw his warm, beaming face.

"Good morning. If it still is." She replied.

"It is, barely." He answered her. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better." She said as she sat up in the bed. The time she was unable to suppress the pain she felt in her ribs and a moan escaped her lips.

"Are you OK?"

"It's just my ribs, they're still … tender."

His smile vanished and he frowned.

"You almost got yourself killed Raven. What the hell is going on? You promised me an explanation." He replied as he sat up as well. "This had better be good."

Raven looked away from him.

"I'm sorry Gar, what I did was monumentally stupid."

"But why?" He asked in an exasperated tone. "I want to hear the truth Raven, and I want to hear it now."

Beast Boy stopped grilling her when he saw tears drip down her cheeks.

"I have terrible news Gar, and it involves you …"

Beast Boys eyes widened in anticipation and preparation for what she was about to say.

Raven proceeded to tell him about the vision she had experienced and spared no detail. Beast Boy's expression first turned somber, then grim. Raven could feel the tumult of emotions that were raging through him and then, much to her surprise, he calmed down.

"I wish you would have told me this earlier Rae, I thought we were past keeping secrets from each other."

Raven contritely bowed her head.

"I'm sorry Gar, this is all my fault …"

He placed his fingers on her lips, gently silencing her.

"It doesn't matter Rae, it doesn't change anything."

Raven was unable to conceal her amazement.

"I don't … understand." She stammered.

"So Trigon said that I'm a marked man. That I'm doomed. Well … I don't care."

"But why?"

Beast Boy gently wrapped his arms around Raven and carefully drew her close to her, so as not to irritate her still healing ribs.

"Rae, you almost died the other day. It's the nature of our job. Curse or no curse, there are no guarantees. Danger and death have always lurked around us. Do we let that affect us? Do we worry about death? No, we never have, and I'm not about to start being afraid of my shadow. I'm not even going to quit being a Titan. It's my life Rae and I'm not going to change the way I live because of any curse."

"But you can't cheat the curse Gar; it will eventually catch up with you."

Beast Boy looked resolute as he replied.

"Maybe it will catch up with me, but I won't change because of that. In fact, I'm going to do things that I would have put off, live life to the fullest and all that stuff."

Raven gave him a worried look.

"You aren't thinking of doing anything reckless Gar, are you?"

He chuckled before answering.

"No Rae, nothing reckless. Is your offer to live with me still good?"

She nodded in affirmation.

"Well, I'd like to up the ante. I want us to be official."

Raven was unable to conceal the surprise from her face.

"Did you just propose to me?"

"I guess I did." He grinned.

"But you're still 17 Gar."

"Just for another month."

Raven looked away from him. After a moment she replied.

"I can't accept."

Beast Boy frowned.

"Why the hell not?"

The changeling was able to see her jaw tremble.

"How can I marry you if I know you're going to die? It would be pointless."

Beast Boy grabbed her wrist and he pulled her towards him so that she was facing him.

"Raven, I thought we went through this already. I'm not going to curl up into a ball and wait to die. I'm going to live whatever time I have left, and I want you to live it with me. Will you?" He replied as he looked deep into her eyes.

"How can you be so brave Gar?" She asked him, her voice trembling.

"Remember when we saw Blade Runner? Remember what Gaff told Deckard at the end, just before he ran away with Rachael the replicant?"

Raven nodded.

"It's too bad she won't live. But then again, who does?" She replied.

"Don't you understand Rae? We have to take advantage of what we have, no matter how short it might be. Maybe if things were different I'd be willing to wait, but if my days really are numbered then I want you at my side."

Raven leaned over and hugged her beloved.

"I understand, please forgive me Gar. I've been such an idiot lately."

Beast Boy smiled.

"I'll take that as a yes."

It was mid afternoon when the sliding doors to the common room opened. Cyborg was in the kitchen making a sub sandwich that was large enough to choke a horse. Robin and Starfire were sitting together on the circular couch; she was watching "World of Fungus" while he read a martial arts magazine. By all appearances it was an ordinary afternoon in Titans Tower.

All three Titans stopped what they were doing and turned towards the open doors. They saw Beast Boy and Raven, walking arm in arm, as he helped her down the stairs. Raven was clearly healthy and strong enough to handle the short series of steps on her own, but she seemed to be content to have the changeling help her walk down the stairs. Cyborg was the first to react and called out to them.

"You guys want something to eat? I can make you some breakfast, heck I'll even make some of that tofu crap BB likes to eat."

"How are you feeling Raven?" Robin asked as the changeling led her to the couch, where she sat down.

"I'm feeling better Robin, thank you."

She paused before continuing.

"Breakfast can wait Cyborg, Gar and I have something we need to share with you."

Robin raised an eyebrow.

"So you're finally gonna tell us what's going on?" He asked.

Raven nodded sadly.

"We have good news and bad news. Which would you prefer to hear first?"

"Bad news first, that way we can get it out of the way." Cyborg replied. Starfire and Robin nodded in agreement. They gathered around Raven and took their places on the couch.

Raven proceeded to share the vision she had for a second time that day. The others listened intently and their mood became dark as the story was unfurled.

"I'm sorry everyone, this is entirely my fault." The sorceress apologized between sobs.

The Titan Trio was stunned, if not shell shocked. The room became quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Finally Robin broke the silence.

"And you're certain of this Raven; it wasn't just a nightmare or something?"

Beast Boy shook his head.

"I was with her when it happened. That damn statue was glued to her hand, I couldn't pry it away."

"So what do we do now?" Starfire asked fearfully. "We must keep Beast Boy safe from danger."

"Now wait a minute …" Beast Boy interrupted before he himself was interrupted by Robin.

"You're off active duty Beast Boy, at least until we find a way to break the curse."

"NO!" Beast Boy shouted. "I won't be locked up in a room like some kind of prisoner."

"But friend, what about your safety?"

"No Star! I'm not going to live in fear waiting to die! You're a warrior princess, of all people you should understand."

The Tamaranian pondered his challenge for a moment and then nodded her understanding.

"Good, at least one of you understands. What about you Robin?"

"I see your point Beast Boy. But have you considered that by staying in the safe room you'll increase your chances of living long enough for us to find a solution to the curse?"

"And what if there isn't one Robin." The green Titan replied. "I'll spend the rest of my life locked in the safe room, living like a prisoner. Don't you understand Robin? I'd rather live whatever time I have left being free and not locked in a cage."

"Which leads to the good news." Raven added in her monotone.

"Which is?" Robin asked.

"We're getting married." They replied in unison.

The Titan trio stared in stunned disbelief upon hearing the news. Robin and Cyborg were simply slack jawed. Starfire had a "deer in the headlights" look, but soon broke out of it and clutching her hands together she began to levitate and spin around, giggling with joy.

"Say what?" Robin choked.

"What's the matter bird boy, are you deaf?" Raven asked. The couple had expected this sort of reaction, but it was plainly obvious that Raven had no patience for their reaction.

"Whoa, you guys are joking, right?" Cyborg asked, wide eyed. "I mean BB doesn't turn 18 until next month. And how long have you been dating? A few months at most."

"We're absolutely serious. And we've known each other for years. We know what we're getting into, and as for our age … need I say anything? Or do you really expect us to wait until we're 30?" Raven replied.

"OK, I'm sorry Raven." Robin responded apologetically. "I guess I do understand, but c'mon, even you two have to admit that you're both very young, but I suppose that time is of the essence. I guess I wasn't really expecting this…"

Beast Boy interrupted.

"Rob, a lot of unexpected stuff has happened lately. You're just gonna hafta deal with it."

Raven took his hand and squeezed it, then turned towards the Tamaranian.

"Starfire, am I correct that in addition to being a warrior you are also a priestess of X'hal?"

"Yes Raven, you are correct." She replied with an understanding look. "All royal princesses are priestesses, even my sister Blackfire."

"Perfect." Raven replied as she glanced at Beast Boy, who gave her a slight nod. "Starfire, we would be honored if you were to perform the wedding ceremony."

Starfire's face lit up.

"Glorious! When do you want the wedding to be held?"

"Now." Raven and Beast Boy replied together.

"Now? As in right now?" Cyborg asked incredulously. "I mean, just like that? Don't you want to at least wait until your hair grows back Raven?"

"Yes." Beast Boy replied. "Just like that."

"And don't worry about my lack of hair Cyborg; I'm sure you can Photoshop the wedding pictures later." She joked, knowing well that there would be no photos.

Starfire tapped her fingers together as she looked lost in thought.

"It will take some time to prepare a proper Tamaranian ceremony, at least a week."

"Then just do a simple civil ceremony." Raven replied. "I'm not kidding when I say we don't want to wait."

"But I do not know how to perform an Earthly civil ceremony." The alien replied, the frustration was evident in her voice.

"Robin can help you find the procedures." Raven told her.

Starfire's face suddenly lit up and she snapped her fingers.

"I have an idea! We can do the warrior ceremony!"

"Warrior ceremony?" Robin asked.

"Yes boyfriend Robin. During times of war in Tamaran there is a special short ceremony for binding warriors about to engage in battle. The ceremony was kept very short so they would have time to consummate before leaving to fight the enemy. I will retrieve what is required."

The princess darted out of the room. After a few short minutes she returned with a book, a chalice adorned with alien jewels and a small knife with a Tamaranian inscription carved on its handle.

"I do not have any zorkaberry wine, but one of your earthly wines will be an acceptable substitute. Cyborg, would you check what we have available in the Tower? And would you please bring a small table?"

Cyborg retreated into the kitchen and began to rummage around. After a few minutes he emerged with a bottle of champagne, left over from a new year's party.

"This is all we got Star." He said as he handed the leftover magnum of French Champagne. She carefully examined the bottle.

"It will suffice." She said as she popped the cork and filled the chalice with the leftover bubbly. She put the chalice down on a TV dinner table that Cyborg had brought back with the bottle, along with the knife.

"Are the bride and groom ready?" She asked in an authoritative and for her, uncharacteristic tone.

"We are." They replied as a video camera popped out of the tin man's shoulder.

"Hey, we gotta record this for posterity." He apologized as Raven gave him an inquisitive look.

"Step forward." Starfire commanded them. They complied and stood before her as Cyborg began to film the event.

In an exceedingly simple and brief ceremony Starfire asked "Warrior Raven" and "Warrior Beast Boy" if they wished to be married. Upon their acceptance she used the knife to make small cuts on their hands. She opened a page in the book and first had Raven drip her blood onto the page, followed by Beast Boy. Satisfied that their blood had mingled properly she closed the book and gave Raven the chalice, from which she took a deep swig, after which she handed it to Beast Boy who did the same before handing it back to Starfire.

"In the name of holy and mighty X'hal I pronounce you a warrior couple. Now go forth and consummate your undissolvable union!"

"What?" The newlyweds inquired in a single, perplexed voice.

"The marriage will not be valid until you consummate. Now go!" She commanded them.

"Uh Star, isn't that kinda … private?" Beast Boy asked. "Don't we get to uh … you know … pick when to do that?"

Starfire collected her Tamaranian artifacts and replied without looking at them.

"It is the way of my people. You asked for a Tamaranian wedding, and you got one. Besides, as you humans would say: 'What is the big deal?' Is consummation not expected after Earth weddings?"

"I guess it's hard to argue with such sound logic and reasoning." Raven replied, partially in jest. "I suppose we have no choice but to comply."

Beast Boy grinned at his newly minted wife.

"Who are we to meddle with tradition?" He replied as he picked Raven up bridal style and walked up the stairs leading to the room's exit. They were quite the sight as he carried her effortlessly while she wrapped her good arm around his neck and the other arm in its cast dangled from her side. Her fuzzy head bobbled as they climbed the stairs. An unconventional ending to what was most definitely an unconventional wedding.

"Aren't you two forgetting something?" Cyborg shouted, his camcorder still running.

"Huh?" They replied in one voice.

"Aren't you supposed to kiss?" Robin asked.

"Kiss?" Raven replied.

"Yes, kiss." Cyborg replied. "And not some wussy kiss on the cheek either. We want to see some sparks!"

"He's right." Robin added.

"Oh yes, yes! I forgot about the Earthly tradition of the wedding kiss. Please proceed friends!"

Beast Boy looked into his wife's amethyst orbs.

"They won't stop bugging us until they see us kiss."

"What makes you think they'll ever stop bothering us?" She answered as she pulled him in with her good arm and planted her lips on his. Without separating his lips from hers the changeling resumed walking while carrying his bride out of the common room.

As the sliding doors closed Cyborg rubbed the back of his head.

"That's just wrong, on so many levels." Cyborg moaned as he rubbed his head. "Are they really married? Can Star legally marry them? And what the heck is all this business about consummating? That was way too much information. And besides, isn't Raven still kind of beat up for that? I mean, she still has her arm in a cast, and her ribs are still sore..."

Robin rolled his eyes as he replied.

"I'm sure they'll manage just fine Cyborg. And don't worry; I'll make sure the legal mumbo jumbo is taken care of. They are married." He replied as Starfire began to setup the room for a party.

"Starfire, what are you doing?"

The princess paused briefly from her task and smiled at her boyfriend.

"I am preparing a celebration for them."

Robin shook his head in disbelief.

"Star, they're having their honeymoon tonight, even if it's just in their bedroom. What makes you think they're gonna come back out of there today?" Robin asked her.

Starfire grinned at her boyfriend.

"They forgot to eat. They'll be back."

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I thought I'd toss in some something sweet and tender before getting back to business.

We're up to 2500 hits already! A fine start! Please keep reviewing, as it makes cantankerous writers like me very happy. But before we get to the mailbag, I have two fellow fan fic authors I highly recommend:

'still too old for this' has just launched a new story: The Road to Nairobi. It's a BB and Robin story (NO, it's not a slash story) of which there are very few. It's in its first chapter and already looks very promising. If you like a story that's well written and aren't afraid of learning something new you can't go wrong with him.

"Sir Alwick' has a large collection of complete stories and is currently working on "What Matters Most". I can't begin to say how much I recommend his work. He covers all sorts of genres within the Titansverse (I especially like 'Girl All the Bad Guys Want').

So, I command you to read their work AND to REVIEW!

There, now you know what to do!

And now … mailbag time.

**The** Cretan - "Well, looks like Raven's gonna learn the hard way that she can't play bodyguard to Gar 24/7. She better be careful lest that protectiveness plays a hand in driving them apart. She's got to trust that he can stand on his own. This was a great chapter. I like suspense most of all and I know you'll keep the surprises coming. Hope to read more and good luck with you."

_You can count on the surprises coming. Stay tuned!_

**titanfan45** - "When Raven wakes up, I'll bet Beast Boy at first will be overjoyed and then demand to know what she was doing when she got hurt. I'll also bet that Robin is going to overeact when he finds out what Raven has to reveal to them. This was the first story that I can recall that Beast Boy gives Raven a death glare."

_I have often thought she's been long overdue to be on the receiving end of a death glare. I'm glad BB was able to oblige._

**still too old for this** - "Well, as always, an interesting chapter. It's rare that the titans face opponents back to back in a single day (can't these jails hold anyone?).

I'm of two minds regarding Cinderblock's unusual strength. First, the titans are tired from Johnny Rancid, making him appear stronger.

That's too easy and I wouldn't expect that from you. However, I can just imagine Trigon's followers enhancing the behemoth to make him stronger. Or there could be a third explanation that I haven't thought of.

Oh, one other thing. I just reread the interlude between Raven and Trigon. Nowhere does it state that BB is the one at risk. Only that it's a separation curse and she should say goodbye to him. Could be that SHE'S the one in danger. That would be consistent with Trigon (seeking revenge) and would follow from the gift itself infecting her.

Ah well, I'll just have to wait. Still, I'm enjoying the story immensely."

_All good questions and observations. Stay tuned!_

**KingofRandom117** - "Raven sure is in a pickle. Sucks for her. Although I must admit, I do believe she will certainly kick Trigon's big red ass for this series of unfortunate events."

_She certainly wants to stick one of her blue boots up a certain red posterior._

**xXCanaryXx** - "OHH YAYA! Hehe.. That is my first time on a mailbag.. I Feel special..hehe..

This chapter was magnificent as always.. LOVED IT!

Please Write MORE!

We luv Your STORIES!

We LUV YOU! ;D "

_Now you made me blush!_

**Ferlion12** - "Good chapter. Yes, the interest in the Titans seems to be waning. Its a shame. Im hoping the Titans get a bit of a pick up here soon in the comics, what with Damian Wayne joining. And with Dick Grayson being batman now. We need a decent Trigon arc that spreads throughout the entire DC verse."

_Sometimes I think the only thing DC cares about these days are Batman movies._

**FelynxTiger** - "The drama has arrive , this part of the story seems to be distressing because Raven hasn't told yet about the curse D: three days! poor Gar and still he is not even aware of what is awaiting him , as for the characters the action was awesome :D"

_As we just saw, BB rose to the occasion, thumbing his nose at Trigon and making Raven his mate._

**Blues32** - "You know...I can't swallow the concept of Raven not telling Beast Boy right away. If he's aware of it, half of the circumstances in which a separation could occur disappear. It becomes obvious that the curse is at work and can be dealt with."

_As you now know, BB has been told. But plenty of turbulence lies ahead. Fasten your seatbelt, the ride will get bumpy!_

**GreenRock** - "Sweet little twist to the story. For the most part, you kept alluding to the possibility that BB was going to be the one was going to physically suffer as a result of Trigon's curse . . . but you flipped it around to Raven.

The story so far is certainly not shy of drama, romance and surprises . . . as the saying goes . . . 'It does exactly what it says on the tin'.

Just five chapters down and this is fast becoming a brilliant piece of prose."

_Thanks. Wait until you see who they'll meet in the next chapter!_

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "Grr, God Damn it Rae, when do you ever learn the more you drag sh. it the more harder it will be, like argh just tell him straight on the face damn it about the curse, sheesh. And crap Gar should have gone Berserker/Rampage mode and smashed Cinderblock to smithereens without a hint of mercy."

_LOL! I see I drove a few up you up the wall with Raven keeping the curse a secret. I must be doing something right :-)_

**almostinsane **- "Great story! I have to say that you are a truly wonderful writer. I haven't read a non-crossover Teen Titans story this good in awhile. Thanks so much for writing this. I'm glad you're here to write. Keep writing please. God bless!"

_Check out the authors I recommeded above! _

Until next time my friends!


	7. Gone shopping

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

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It was a busy afternoon in downtown Jump City. It weather was bright and crisp. The first leaves were falling from the trees and dancing their autumn pirouettes the gentle breeze. The sidewalks were crowded with all sorts of people: young couples on dates, business people rushing to who knows where, retirees walking their tiny dogs and teenagers just hanging around, flirting with each other. It was so busy in fact the most of them failed to notice the city's current celebrity couple, walking hand in hand. They would have blurred in with the crowd, just another couple, except for one simple fact: they were green and gray and were wearing the same costumes they had worn for years.

The day after their impromptu wedding they decided to make their union public, and issued a small press release, which they had hoped would be published in the local paper's Social pages on Saturday. Unfortunately it had been a slow news day and their announcement had wound up making the paper's front page the next day. A few TV crews with cameras had shown up at the Tower asking for interviews. Robin had mercifully sent the reporters away and there were no missions during the following two weeks. By the time the Logans ventured out into public for the first time as a married couple the novelty of their story had worn off for which they were both grateful.

It was now 6 weeks later and the locals appeared to have become accustomed to the sight of the Chromatically Challenged Couple™ in their midst and while they occasionally received a hand wave or a thumbs up from their fans the public did not badger them during their outings except for an occasional autograph seeker.

Robin had suggested they get out of town after their wedding. 'Go on a honeymoon, dammit!' he kept telling them, to no avail. Raven was a woman on a mission, one that couldn't wait, so the honeymoon was put on the back burner for the time being.

It was Raven's mission, if not obsession, which led them to their destination that autumn afternoon. After walking along Tejon Ave for a while they turned onto a small side street, one that looked more like an alley that a real street. It was narrow and didn't even have a sign to show its name. Of course it didn't need one because first of all only Raven could see it. Beast Boy faithfully followed her into what looked like a solid brick wall and they both passed effortlessly through it as if it were an illusion, which is what it really was.

"Uh Rae, how come no one saw us walk through that wall?"

"It has a spell on it." She replied absentmindedly as she scanned the various storefronts, searching for one in particular. "It's over there; I've never been in that shop before, it's fairly new."

As they made their way down the deserted street Beast Boy peered into the shop windows as they walked by. Most were full of the same sort of strange artifacts Raven had collected in their room. The sorceress had told him that when she first arrived in Jump City that she had virtually spent all her free time on Amorista Lane, and he could see why. The place looked like it was straight out of a Harry Potter movie. As they walked by another store front a strange looking shopkeeper, who was dressed in a shiny robe and wearing a strange looking hat, waved at Raven while running out of his shop.

"Raven my dear! We haven't seen you for months!" The man greeted her with a great deal of excitement.

"Hello Ranesh. I guess I've been busy, but it's always good to visit Amorista Lane."

The shopkeeper was an old man with a bright smile. He extended his hand to Beast Boy who accepted it with a shake.

"And you must be Raven's young man! We all wondered if there would ever be someone worthy of our Raven. Congratulations, to both of you!" He said as he thrust a gift box in their direction, which the changeling accepted.

"Thank you Ranesh, you are too kind, as always." She replied as other shopkeepers emerged from their stores, each also bearing a gift. They milled around the Logans, offering their congratulations along with a gift. Raven took her time and thanked each one of them individually. One by one they returned to their stores until only Ranesh was with them. Beast Boy was tottering under the weight and bulk of the numerous packages.

"You can leave them with me; I'll have them shipped to the Tower." The shopkeeper offered.

"Thank you again Ranesh. But now we need to get down to business."

The elderly man nodded.

"The shop you are looking for is at the end of the street. It opened a few months ago and is run by a woman named Agnetha. She's a strange one I will tell you, she keeps to herself refuses to socialize with any of us. And she draws … a questionable clientele. You might find the answer to what you are looking for there."

Raven thanked the shopkeeper and they resumed walking down the street.

"How come you never told me about this place Raven? It's pretty cool."

"Anyone who enters here is sworn to secrecy Gar. I was only able to bring you this time because we're married." She replied in her monotone.

"So this is where you would disappear to all the time?" He asked. "Back when we were younger?"

"Not always, I would come here at most once a month." She replied as they walked up to the newcomer's door.

Raven pulled the door open and a bell rang announcing their arrival. It had a strange, otherworldly timber to it and the changeling felt a shiver go down his spine as they entered the strange shop. The door closed quietly behind them and they both glanced around to find the shopkeeper.

"Just a minute, I'll be there!" And old woman's voice called out from the storage room behind the store's showroom.

As they waited Beast Boy looked around, unable to keep his morbid curiosity in check as this store was packed with even stranger items than their room. There were hideous mummified creatures on display, one of which Beast Boy was able to identify as a chupacabra. He knew a little bit about chupacabras and had learned that they were highly intelligent, even sentient beings. Seeing the mortal remains of such a creature on display as a mere curiosity filled him with indignation, but he kept his feelings in check for Raven's sake.

He continued to explore the store and as he rounded a corner into one of the store's aisles a loud gasp escaped his lips.

"Rae, you gotta see this!"

Raven dashed over to the aisle where he had called her from. As she arrived she found that the shopkeeper was already with Beast Boy.

"You must be Raven." The old woman greeted her. She was very tall, had a thin frame and her hands were gnarled from her advanced age. If asked, Beast Boy would have described her attire as something out of the Addams Family. "I see your young man has an interest in Maskil figurines."

"As do I." Raven replied. The woman was holding a figurine identical to the one she had received on her birthday. "To be more precise I am interested in anyone who has purchased one of those figurines."

"I sell quite a few of these." She replied as she caressed the figure's phallus while Beast Boy stifled a grimace. "They are rather popular among young couples."

"You're joking." Beast Boy blurted out. "Why would anyone want something that nasty?"

The shopkeeper chuckled as she restored the statue to its place on the shelf.

"Some people believe that keeping one of these in their bedroom will enhance their sex life. You are newlyweds, correct? Might I interest you in one?"

"We don't need one." He replied in a guttural growl. Raven sensed that he was getting perilously close to losing control. The last thing she wanted was for the Beast to make an appearance in Amorista Lane as he would probably raze it to the ground. She placed a calming hand on his shoulder and he regained his composure, much to her relief.

"How are these related to Trigon?" Raven asked.

"Trigon was known for his virility." She said as she glanced at Raven. "It is said that he fathered over one thousand offspring."

"That's mere hearsay." Raven quietly disagreed.

The old woman smiled.

"Perhaps." She replied she stroked her long, bony chin. "This may be of interest to you. A mediocre sorceress, who is well known in the community as being a devotee of your father, purchased a Maskil figurine a few months ago when I first opened my shop."

Raven perked up upon hearing the news.

"Are you serious? Who is she? Would I know her?"

The old crone shook her head.

"I don't think you would. She's relatively new in town and keeps to herself. Her name is Evangeline."

"Can you tell me how to find her?" The demoness asked.

The shopkeeper shook her head.

"I can't, but I know someone who might be able to help you."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The sounds of a meal being prepared echoed throughout the common room. The gas burner on the stove hissed its combustive symphony while a skillet sizzled in reply.

Raven and Beast Boy stood in front of the stove while the changeling instructed his better half on the nuances of preparing a perfect batch of sautéed tofu.

"Raven, I made enough real food to go around. You don't have to eat that stuff, I made veal parmesan tonight." Cyborg called out to her as he snatched a mustard container out of Starfire's hand. "Oh no you don't! Mustard does not go with parmesan!"

As the Tamaranian sulked Raven served two helpings of the tofu dish over helpings of linguine.

"I appreciate the offer Cyborg, but I've been gaining some weight so I'm gonna go vegetarian with Gar until I lose it."

The tin man regarded her with a jaundiced eye.

"You haven't gained any weight." He replied in disbelief.

"I have, two pounds in fact."

Robin looked at her with a skeptical expression.

"But you never gain weight Raven, what's going on?"

The sorceress shrugged her shoulders as she tasted her dinner.

"I don't know, but Gar and I are going to hit the gym early tomorrow morning."

Starfire stared at her mustard free meal and unhappily put her fork down.

"Tell us more about this Evangeline Raven. Who is she?"

Raven paused and also put her fork down.

"I really don't know much about her, Starfire. She's a mystery. All we know is that she's a sorceress who is a member of a cult that worships Trigon."

"And why do you want to find her?" Cyborg asked.

"I learned something the other day in my research. Whoever cast the curse can remove it, and I have a hunch that it was her."

"Rae, what if she refuses to cooperate?" Beast Boy asked.

"That won't be an option for her." She replied as her eyes glowed red.

Robin was about to lecture Raven in that torture was not the Titan way of doing things, but before he could even open his mouth she gave him a glare that made it clear that she knew what he was going to say and that he had better not. Wisely, he chose to switch gears.

"So how are you going to find her?" Robin asked. "We don't know who she is, what she looks likes or where she lives."

Raven, who was clearly hungry, finished cleaning her plate, consuming every last morsel before she answered him.

"The shopkeeper has a contact for me, and she sent me a message half an hour ago on when and where to meet this person."

"Did she say who it was?" Cyborg asked.

Raven shook her head.

"No, all the note said was to be at the Las Colinas cemetery at 1 AM tonight."

The Boy Wonder crossed his arms.

"And I suppose that you're going by yourself?" He asked her.

"That was my intention." She answered in her monotone.

"Ain't gonna happen." Cyborg interjected as he stood up. "My little sis ain't going there by herself, no way! What if it's a trap?"

"Cyborg is correct Raven; it sounds as you humans would say: 'fishy'"

Raven rolled her eyes.

"Oh for Azar's sake, it's just the graveyard. What could possibly happen there?"

"It could be an ambush." Robin replied. "Maybe it's the same people who sent you the figurine. Listen Raven, I know you're a big girl and can take care of yourself, but as your leader I don't want to take any chances, especially knowing that Trigon is involved."

Raven sighed.

"And you guys say I'm paranoid these days! I just wanted to spare you the bother of staying up late."

She then glanced over at Beast Boy, who had remained silent during the conversation.

"What do you think Gar?"

The changeling looked at his wife in the eyes. He knew that she was proud of her independence and that she was probably the mightiest of the Titans. But she was also his wife, the love of his life and just as she had veto power over his actions, he had the same privileges regarding her own choices.

"I think we should all go."

Raven looked momentarily disappointed but quickly recovered.

"Well, fair is fair I suppose. If I can fuss over your safety, well, I guess it's a two way street."

Robin smiled.

"It's settled then. We'll meet here at 12:30. I suggest everyone be rested with a few hours of sleep."

"There's no telling what we'll find there."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Under the pale midnight moonlight Las Colinas cemetery looked like a scene out of a horror movie. It was an old cemetery, Jump City's oldest in fact and it had tombs and crypts from as far back as the late 19th century. The graveyard showed its age as many of the tombstones stood at odd angles and looked weather worn and decrepit. The cemetery had clearly not been kept up as the vegetation, which consisted mostly of wild weeds and overgrown bushes bore witness to, and to top it all off that night a thick fog enveloped the graveyard's grounds.

Beast Boy's eyes darted left and right as he seemed to revert to being the nervous and jumpy teenager he used to be when the Titans first became a team.

"I'm only gonna say this once … this place is way creepy." The changeling announced in a voice that was dripping with trepidation.

"I concur with friend Beast Boy, there is something unsettling about this location and it has nothing to do with the dead who are resting here."

"I'm with you Star; something feels wrong about this place." Cyborg added.

Robin snorted his disapproval of his teammates' concerns.

"It's just a graveyard, what could possibly happen? The dead aren't going to pop out of their graves like zombies. Will you just relax?"

Just then a familiar voice, coming from the rooftop of a nearby crypt, surprised them.

"Ah yes Robin, you were always the level headed one, you and Raven as well."

The five heroes turned their attention to the crypt and they saw him. He was sitting in the rooftop with his legs dangling over the edge.

"I see you brought the whole team Robin, I'm flattered." He announced in his monotone.

"Slade!" Robin shouted. "What are you doing here?"

The villain leaped off the building and landed on the ground in front of the still startled heroes.

"What am I doing here? Silly boy, I'm Raven's contact."

Robin adopted a fighting stance and snarled at his nemesis. The Boy Wonder was no longer the young lad that had once been forced to be Slade's apprentice against his very own will. He was now a young man and while his physique was not yet quite as imposing as the Batman's muscular figure he definitely looked like he could now take Slade on his own without any assistance from his teammates.

"Robin, Robin, I didn't come here to fight you."

"Then I suggest you leave Slade. Now."

The one eyed villain chuckled as he crossed his own muscular arms. His good eye gleamed in amusement through the eye slit in his mask.

"Don't you want to learn more about Evangeline?" He asked.

Raven stepped forward.

"As a matter of fact I do!" She shouted at him.

"Hold on Raven. How do we know he really wants to help us?" Robin interrupted before turning to face Deathstroke. "Why should we trust you Slade? Why would you want to help us?"

Slade folded his arms behind his back and began to pace in front of the Titans.

"You ask a valid question Robin, a very good question in fact, a question that deserves an answer."

"Don't play games with us Slade!" Beast Boy growled.

The one eyed man chuckled.

"I see you have matured Beast Boy. I would congratulate you if it were not for the curse."

The team emitted a collective gasp at his words.

"Oh I know all about the curse." He chuckled. "Evangeline just wouldn't shut up about it; she was so proud and pleased with herself."

"Is Evangeline your new apprentice Slade?" Raven asked in an accusatory tone.

"My apprentice? Definitely not! She lacks your talents my dear Titans. To train her would be … a waste of time."

"Then how do you know her?" Raven asked.

"It's quite simple child. She sought me out. She knows that I was once Trigon's servant but doesn't know that I helped you defeat him. Thanks for keeping that a secret by the way; I do have a reputation to maintain. Anyway, she thinks I'm still his loyal servant."

"You still haven't answered the question Slade. Why do you want to help us?"

Slade walked up to Raven and attempted to caress her cheek with his finger. Raven slapped it away before Beast Boy could even react, an act the elicited a good laugh from the villain.

"Feisty as always Raven. You and Beast Boy make an interesting couple." He paused as he chuckled again. "The reason I want to help you is very straight forward: I still have a score to settle with Trigon."

The Titans stood silently as they appraised the villain's words.

"OK, I'll bite." Robin finally spoke up. "How do we find Evangeline?"

Slade produced a datapad from his utility belt and handed it to Robin.

"Everything you need to know is in this PDA." Slade said as he began to walk away. He then stopped and turned around.

"I wish you luck, Mr. and Mrs. Logan." He called out in his monotone.

"Why would you wish us that Slade?" Beast Boy snarled. "If anything you should be glad we have the curse."

"It's true that one could see this as a favor that Trigon did for me. But you see, I don't want him to destroy you … I want to do that myself. So good luck Titans, until we meet again, as adversaries."

Slade then resumed walking away and vanished into the fog.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Slade helping the Titans? What next? Flying pigs?

I'm glad you are all enjoying this story. We're past 3100 hits, so thanks for reading! Just don't forget to review as it makes me ecstatically happy.

And now … drumroll … mailbag time!

**bk00** - "oh my gawd. wow. just wow. you never cease to amaze me!"

_Thanks! I am to please!_

**Bigguido** - "great chapter keep it up also this chapter gave me a story idea thanks a lot, and keep going"

_Always glad to be an inspiration to others!_

**AllYourWafflesBelongToMe** - "Man, this is gonna be great. *fangirlish squeal* Hope you update soon :D"

_I did update soon! Ta da!_

**YourMoosyFate** - "Haha, as intense as this chapter was, I thought it was super hilarious at the end. I loved the whole wedding ceremony, right down to the awkward conversation about consummation! Well done, and I'm really into this story! I was thinking that the curse was actually set for Raven to get hurt, and she just jumped to conclusions. In any case, I'm desperately hoping that they find a way to break the curse! Eagerly anticipating the next chapter"

_You aren't the first one tow wonder who the curse it really aimed at. Stay tuned!_

**MissAzuka** - "Simple, no nonsense beating around a bush, getting what you want people to know and see and beautifully done so, keep going."

_I tend to be more of a minimalist when writing, too much so in my older stories. I hope to be close to the perfect balance._

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "I'm proud of this chapter with Gar's attitude towards his own Mortality"

_I was hoping someone would notice this. I was kind of pleased with that part of the chapter._

**GreenRock** - "Even with the pending doom looming over BB's head, the way you inject some light-heartedness into this chapter, i.e. the fluffiness of the wedding ceremony, the humourous anecdotes and behaviour portrayed by Robin, Star and Cy, the intimacy shared between BB and Rae et cetera . . . is a great way to take the reader's attention away - even if it is for just a short moment - from that doom. In a way, it detracts the reader away from that misery, so it keeps the reader guessing what's going to occur in the upcoming chapter. Whatever does come up, I'm more than positive that it will be brilliant. Another job well done."

_Thanks, sometimes one needs a little break between the mayhem._

**xXCanaryXx** - ":) Great Chapter! This chapter was long awaited. I loved it cuz it was creative qnd funny and awesome. I for one had a laugh attack when they were gunna get married. Fluffy cute and funny.. my favorite. You always seem to know what to write to keep us interested. :) Keep Up The Great Work!"

_Thanks, things will be getting a bit more serious for a while._

**FelynxTiger** - "spectacular Chapter congrats for your hits :) i will check the stories , let's see this seems to be a little more Funny , dont know Star and marriage together can produce an incredible mix of fun XD. So the notice has been reveal , what awaits our heroes can be only discover until the next chapter so see ya ! "

_Thanks. The cat is out of the bag. What will happen next?_

**still too old for this** - "LOL, my friend. A wedding is always welcome and enjoyable. That may be the quickest ceremony I've seen since 'Princess Bride'. Unfortunately, Starfire has not been authorized by the state of California to conduct weddings (Cyborg is rightly concerned), so it may not be binding.

Like they care.

Something tells me that after pining for each other for years, a little thing like food/hunger will not stop our favorite couple from...coupling. (Sorry, couldn't resist the pun.)

While the story has, apparently, not moved along much, these interludes are always fun. I'm content to wait until the next chapter to see the continued effects of Trigon's curse. (Hmmm, good name for a story. Have to remember that one.)

Finally, my most humble and unworthy thanks for your mention of my latest story. I appreciate you advertising my meager attempts at storytelling. Especially, as you say, when you receive 2500 hits and my inadequate attempts garner less than 100. But then again, your work is always phenomenal and a pleasure to read. While I hate to piggyback off of your (deserved) success, I admit to the failing of greed.

Can't wait for the next installment, yet, I will be patient (I have to be).

Until next time. This is a most marvelous tale. "

_Always glad to do shout outs. While the quality of new stories here has suffered lately there still is good stuff out there, especially your work._

**AWordToTheNot-So-Wise** - "I just know that this lighthearted chapter is to set us up for an even greater emotional roller coaster when the proverbial shit hits the proverbial fan and when it does I'm going to proverbially go hide in the proverbial fox hole."

_Buckle up, the ride will get bumpy!_

**almostinsane** - "I love this chapter. LOL. I especially liked the "wedding". I'm sure the Beast is happy now that he's claiming his mate as we speak. I can't wait to see what happens next. Thanks for writing this. God bless!"

_Thanks! The wedding scene was fun to write._

**titanfan45** - "Starfire was great in her role of officiating Raven and Beast Boy's marraige. I busted out laughing when Star was asked what made her think they were coming out of their room, Star's answer was hilarious."

_Maybe Robin talked her into leaving a picnic basket by their door?_


	8. Evangeline

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The coffee maker clicked itself off; its glass pot was full of its freshly brewed caffeinated ambrosia. The machine's LED display glowed in the kitchen's darkness, flashing like a lonely light tower guiding the lost to safety. A green gloved hand appeared out of the darkness and grabbed the pot's handle, refilling the mug its owner's other hand was holding.

Robin had lost track of how much coffee he had consumed already, and the truth was he didn't really care. Clutching his mug he shuffled back to the dining table where he left the datapad Slade had given him. As he sat back down the doors to the common room swished open. Robin looked up and saw Beast Boy, clad only in a pair of boxers, walk in.

"Dude, why are you still up? It's almost 3 AM."

Robin took a deep draught of his coffee before replying.

"I could ask you the same question."

The changeling walked past Robin to the fridge, where he poured himself a glass of guava juice.

"I woke up thirsty … you shouldn't drink so much coffee Rob … it'll rot your gut."

"I guess so … Raven?"

"She's sleeping." The changeling replied after finishing his drink.

Robin sipped his coffee, looking lost in thought.

"So, what's it like?" HE asked.

"What's what like?"

"You know, being married and all that."

The changeling rinsed his glass and placed it in the dishwasher.

"I like it." He replied before noticing the datapad lying on the table.

"Are you still studying that thing? You've been at it all day."

"I know, I know. It clearly indicates where we can find Evangeline, that her real name is Sarah McDougall, that she's from Salem, Oregon and she's been practicing sorcery for five years and that as Raven already told us, she sucks as a witch."

"Then why aren't you in bed?"

"I can't Beast Boy. There's something bothering me about all this."

"You think Slade's setting us up?"

"Why else would he give this to us? He isn't exactly our friend."

The changeling sighed.

"I don't know Rob … what I do know is I'm going back to bed and curl up next to Raven."

He paused.

"You know what you need Rob? You need to stop being so anal and get laid once in a while. When are you going to marry Star? You guys are way overdue if you ask me."

Robin chuckled.

"Garfield Logan, the relationship expert. And since when do you know so much about sex? If memory serves me right you were still a virgin until you got married."

Beast Boy got up and made his way to the room's exit.

"I'm not kidding Rob." He spoke without turning around. "What if Star was killed before you married her? You'd never forgive yourself."

"I suppose you're right."

Beast Boy turned around and walked back to Robin. He picked up the coffee mug and poured it down the drain.

"Of course I am. Now go and spend the night with her."

"Beast Boy!" Robin protested.

The changeling rolled his eyes.

"I didn't say go have sex with her. Just be with her, then you'll understand why you need to marry her dude."

Robin nodded as the changeling walked out of the common room, wishing him good night in the process. After a few minutes the Boy Wonder headed off to his own room. As he pondered what the changeling had told him he found himself in front of Starfire's door, not remembering how he got there. After hesitating for a moment he knocked on her door. Just before knocking a second time it slid open, revealing Starfire's sleepy face.

"Richard?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The five Titans quietly made their way down the street. The neighborhood they were in had clearly seen better times. The brick apartment buildings, which had been built before World War II, while structurally sound, looked dilapidated in some cases uninhabitable. A few even had condemnation notices along with warnings against trespassing. It was in front of such a building where the Titans stopped.

"According to Slade this is the place." Robin announced.

Cyborg noticed some graffiti next to the building's entrance. The tagger did a sloppy job with the spray can, but it was legible, barely.

"Eva rules." The tin man read out loud. "I guess X marks the spot."

The changeling sized up the building with a skeptical eye.

"What a dump!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "She actually lives here?"

"I guess you can't beat the rent." Cyborg joked half heartedly. "Squatters special, zero dollars per month."

Starfire looked around and saw that Evangeline wasn't the only tenant in the neighborhood.

"Robin, I do not understand. The Earth is rich in its natural wealth. Compared to this world Tamaran is poor in natural resources, but we do not have people living in this kind of squalor, please help me understand why do so many humans live in poverty? "

Robin shook his head.

"It's complicated Star. I'll explain it to you some other time. We have to find Evangeline first."

They team approached the building's front door and paused.

"According to Slade she lives on the top floor. We can't take the stairs or she'll hear us. Raven, we need you to teleport us to her front door." Robin instructed his team.

"That shouldn't be a problem."

"Perfect. Once we're there we need to be silent but quick. While she can't fly like Raven it says here that she can fly on a broom." Robin turned to Raven. "Is Slade yanking our chain Raven? She flies on a broom?"

The sorceress nodded.

"Unskilled practitioners of magic often use enchanted objects to achieve flight." She informed the group. "But we need to stay sharp, mediocre or not she can cast spells and I doubt she's above using them unethically."

Her teammates nodded their understanding.

"Let's do it!" Beast Boy commanded.

The Titans gathered around Raven who raised her arms. The familiar obsidian colored hemisphere appeared and enveloped the team before phasing into the ground. Within a moment they appeared in front of an old wooden door that looked weather beaten. The interior of the building mirrored the squalor of its exterior. There was a pool of water on the floor and the wall paper in the hallway was moldy and peeling away. A cold breeze blew through the hall as a door could be heard swinging in the distance. Robin raised his hand, signaling his teammates to wait. He then nodded to Cyborg who kicked the door down and the five heroes rushed into the condemned apartment.

The apartment was spacious and looked lived in. There was an old TV in the living room with a wire hanger improvised as an antenna while a half eaten sandwich, bag of potato chips along with a nearly full two liter bottle of diet cola on the coffee table indicated that someone still lived there. Robin raised his hand again and the Titans fell quiet. After listening for a moment Beast Boy spoke up.

"She's here, I can hear her."

"And I can sense her." Raven added.

"Spread out. We can't let her escape." Robin barked. "Titans Go!"

The apartment had 2 bedrooms, a bath and a kitchen. Cyborg charged into the kitchen, Starfire the bathroom and Robin took the nearest bedroom.

It had been agreed by the team that for Beast Boy's safety he should not be alone during missions. Robin had suggested pairing him up with Starfire but Raven quickly vetoed that suggestion, insisting that she would be his mission buddy. The pairing had worked well as Beast Boy had not had any close calls since the Cinderblock incident.

The Chromatically Challenged Couple™ approached the second bedroom and found the door closed and locked. Raven used a blast of her dark energy to smash the old door into tiny splinters. As they rushed in they caught a glimpse of Evangeline. She was dressed in what appeared to be a knock off of Raven's own costume, but she lacked the demoness's athletic figure. She wore gray makeup and her hair was dyed the same shade of violet as Raven's naturally colored locks were.

"Give it up Evangeline, you can't get away!" Raven bellowed at her.

The witch bolted for a nearby window, grabbing a broom in the process. In a single fluid motion she hopped on the the broom and flew out the window.

"Guys!" Beast Boy shouted. "Over here! She just flew away!"

Raven and her husband gave chase to the absconding witch and were soon followed by their teammates. At first Evangeline few in a straight line at a vertiginous speed and the Logans struggled to catch up with her. Raven flew solo and Beast Boy morphed into a falcon. The chase was intense and prolonged. After several minutes of chasing the witch the changeling was beginning to feel fatigued.

"_I thought you said she sucked!" _He called to his wife over their telepathic link.

"_**She is a mediocre witch Gar. Someone gave her that broom, there's no way she cast that good of a spell on it. Whoever enchanted that broom is very skilled in the magical arts."**_

They had now chased Evangeline more than halfway across town. Raven sensed Beast Boy's mounting fatigue and conjured one of her flying disks. Just as Beast Boy was about to join her on her dark flying saucer a barrage of starbolts shot past them, their mark clearly being the flying Raven look alike. Evangeline clumsily dodged the Tamaranian's attack and lost speed in the process. By this point the Logans were together on the flying disk and were closing ground quickly on the copy cat sorceress.

"Stop Evangeline! We don't want to hurt you!" Raven shouted as they drew near. "We just want to talk!"

Evangeline ignored Raven's request and quickly changed tactics. Leaning to her left she executed a barrel roll dive and hurled down towards the Jump City mall. Beast Boy and Raven both leaped off of the disk and gave pursuit along with Starfire who continue to hurl star bolts at the fleeing witch. Raven saw the T-Car not far behind pulling into the mall's parking lot.

Evangeline headed to shopping center's main entrance and crashed through the glass façade, sending shards flying as the mall patrons ran for cover. The Logans were closing in on her and did not relent in their pursuit. Starfire also gave chase but withheld firing star colts or her eye beams to avoid injuring the civilians who crowded the mall's walkways.

Evangeline zig-zagged through the crowds, narrowly avoiding hitting them. Raven called out to her, demanding that she stop. Evangeline looked over her shoulder to see how close they were and that was when she failed to notice the large mobile phone kiosk that lay in her path.

She turned around and saw it, but it was too late as she violently crashed into the sales booth, demolishing it and spewing its merchandise all over the floor. She became separated from her broom and fell onto the marble floor, where she rolled several times until she stopped.

Raven and Beast Boy alighted next to her. Much to their surprise while she was unconscious she showed no signs of any injury whatsoever. Raven placed her hand on Evangeline's neck to check for a pulse and found none. She also noticed that Evangeline was ice cold.

Then without any warning Evangeline's body sublimated, as if it were evaporating. Within a few seconds she was gone and all that remained of her was a paper doll with some kanji script in it. By this point the 5 Titans were present and they all stared at the strange paper doll. Raven handed it to Starfire.

"What does it say?" She asked the red head who studied the Japanese text.

"It says 'Sarah McDougall', I don't understand Raven …"

Raven stood up, clenching her teeth.

"It was a damn decoy! She used an old Japanese magic trick to make a decoy! How could have I been so stupid?"

Beast Boy placed a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder.

"She fooled all of us Rae."

Raven shrieked in anger.

"It's the second time she's pulled one on me! Dammit! I've let a two bit witch trick me twice!"

"We'll find her Raven, we will." Robin reassured her. "Let's go back to her apartment, maybe we'll find some clues there."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Titans returned solemnly to Evangeline's apartment, chastised in their own self disappointment in allowing her to escape. They were hoping to find a clue of where she might have escaped and hoped that they might find any kind of useful information in her dilapidated apartment. Upon returning they congregated in the living room and began to search for clues. Cyborg used his scanners and found no other human life signs in the entire building. Raven was able to confirm that there were no other people present.

"Ok team, we know she's gone, so let's take our time and carefully comb this apartment. There has to be a clue of where she went here somewhere, we just have to find it." Robin instructed his team.

The Titans spread around the living room and began to search. They sifted through the trash, which was bountiful and through Evangeline's personal belongings, but found nothing. The only conclusion they came to was that she had left in a hurry, as they found some of her personal items, including her purse, which was full of junk, and a bag full of spell books she had left behind.

Once he was satisfied that no rock had been left unturned Robin indicated that they should spread out into the rest of the apartment.

Cyborg inspected the kitchen, which appeared to have last been cleaned sometime during the Eisenhower administration. He glanced nervously at the fridge, wondering if he dared to open it. He deferred that as he inspected the kitchen cabinets instead. As he pulled on it the door on the first cabinet came off its rotten hinges and he tossed it aside unceremoniously. Upon further inspection he determined that the cabinets were completely bare and had been that way for years, if not decades. He then glanced nervously at the fridge, wondering what gruesome objects it might contain.

The refrigerator was an ancient model, the kind that had a lever live handle that unlocked the door when opening it. Cyborg heard the ancient compressor running and knew that the fridge was still functional, which implied that there was probably something inside it.

As reached for the lever and gently pulled on it, he braced himself for what he would find inside the old ice box. A severed head perhaps? Or animal parts used in making magic potions?

Cyborg gingerly opened the door and found … a carton of milk.

Starfire was inspecting the bathroom and began in the bathtub, which was covered in a layer of filth. She opened the tap above it but all that came out was sludge. She quickly shut it off and after inspecting the medicine cabinet and the toilet quickly concluded that she was wasting her time in the bath room.

Robin was in the first bedroom, rifling through a desk in the room. The drawers were cluttered with all sorts of junk and detritus. So far the only thing he had learned about Evangeline was that she was a pig, eclipsing even Beast Boy at his worst moments. There was junk mail, dead batteries, a dry cleaners claim stub, a screwdriver, a flashlight with a burned out light bulb and a broken magnifying glass and that was only in the first small drawer on the top.

The next drawer proved more fruitful as Robin found a small address book. He quickly scanned the pages … and smiled.

Raven and Beast Boy reentered the room where they first saw the decoy. This time they weren't in a hurry and looked around carefully. The very first thing they noticed was that floor was littered with used condoms, which Beast Boy reacted to first.

"Eww! Gross."

"No Gar, this is good."

"It is?"

"Think about it, this means she has friends, or at least a boyfriend. If we can find him, we'll find her."

The young couple continued examining the floor and the many items besides prophylactics that were strewn all over it, ignoring the room's high vaulted ceiling in the process.

Beast Boy was the first to look up at the high ceiling, which was at least 30 feet above them. Raven saw his jaw go slack and his eyes bug out. Instinctively she looked up as well, and gasped at the sight that greeted her.

"No, it can't be." Were the only words to escape her lips.

The other three entered the room.

"I found her address book …" Robin chimed in before he and the others looked up.

"Don't tell me that's …" Robin asked.

Evangeline's lifeless body was dangling from the improvised hangman's noose, made from an old electrical extension cord, still swinging slowly and rotating above them.

Raven levitated up to the dangling body, and quickly confirmed that the girl was dead. As she looked down she saw her teammates pale at the grisly discovery. The Titans were fortunate and seldom ever had to confront death, and they clearly were still unaccustomed to its cold presence. Raven continued to inspect the witch's remains and found that there was a note pinned to the dead copy cat's leotard, which Raven removed before descending back to her teammates.

The other 4 Titans stared at Evangeline's dangling corpse in complete shock and disbelief. Her body continued to rotate ever so slowly and when seen from behind Beast Boy though that the hack's resemblance to Raven was too close for comfort. Meanwhile Raven quickly read the note, her eyes darting back and forth across the page. When she was done she raised her right fist, which was shrouded in her obsidian light, and let it come crashing down on a nearby credenza, smashing it to bits.

"What does the note say Raven?" Robin asked her.

Without replying she handed the note to the Boy Wonder, after which she closed her eyes and crossed her arms while her displeasure was stamped on her face. Robin looked down at the note and began to read it out loud.

"_Dear Traitor:_

_As you have already guessed I am the one who sent the Maskil figurine to you. Why, do you ask? Because you deserved it! How could you betray our lord and master? You are unworthy of being his daughter. He gave everything to you, including your powers. You are the envy of dark sorcerers around the world and what do you use your powers for? You waste them on trying to make the world a better place. You fool! You should know that is impossible!_

_But worst of all you shirked your duty and destiny. You are no doubt wondering why I am dressed like you. The reason is simple: I am taking your place at your father's side, as the loyal daughter he never had. I might lack your powers, mighty Raven, but unlike you I know my place in the order of things. I have chosen to honor and obey my master, and he will reward me._

_I also know why you were searching for me; you want me to undo the curse. It is true; since I cast it on the Maskil figurine I alone can break it, but I have no intention of doing that. You are stuck with the curse Raven and your days with the idiot changeling are numbered._

_You might think that my final escape from you was cowardly, but it was nothing of the sort. You can now no longer reach me and cannot force me to break the curse. I die happily, for I am returning to my master, who will make me his own daughter in his image and share his glory with me, an honor you tossed into the gutter being the ingrate that you are. You see, I am now the new Raven and you are the imposter._

_Farewell bitch and suffer the consequences of your foolish choice."_

Robin looked up from the note and saw that Raven was beginning to break down. She began to sob as she fell to her knees.

"I was so close, so damn close … and I blew it … again." She said between sobs. "How could I have been so inept and clueless?"

Robin heaved a pronounced sigh as he pulled his communicator out and called the police to inform them that there was a corpse to be taken to the morgue. After he was done he turned to the princess.

"Star, I hate to ask you this, but could you bring Evangeline's body down from there?"

Starfire nodded grimly and levitated up to the dead witch. Meanwhile Robin flipped through the pages of the address book.

_There has to be a solution, and one of these people has to know it._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Alright! The hits (almost 4000) and reviews (88) keep rolling in! So I will reward you, my faithful readers, with another quick update. To be honest, I've been burning through a stockpile of chapters I wrote in advance, but I do promise to update at least once a week once my "stash of chapters" has been exhausted.

So, Eva is dead! Now what? Stay tuned!

Oh, and before I forget, don't forget to read (and review) Ganguro.

And now … mail bag time!

**punk** - "haha yay there is bit of hope everything will work out great chapters by the way"

Hope is one of those quintessential human traits. You can't have a story without it.

**xXCanaryXx** - "Ohh. Yes. Things are gettin

WOAH! Somehow i thought Slade would be involved in the Trigon mumbo jumbo. I also like the secret street... AWESOME! I would LOVE to get that many presents.

:P

Ohh im excited to see what happens next.

As always, great chapter. Keep em coming! :) "

_Thanks, I was a little afraid of adding Amorista Lane to the story, as it seems like a rip-off of Diagon Alley (which it is) but I thought it would be kind of fun to have it. Bonus points to anyone who can guest where the word 'Amorista' was borrowed from?_

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "Well what can I say Trigon has fine taste in women esp picking Arella, for an ugly Red Demon he sure has taste definitely xD LOL Manhoe is the word for Trigon.

Anyways time for Evangeline to have a nasty surprise from a 4 eyed Demoness and an Angry Green Furry Ball of Aggression."

_Unfortunately Eva gave them the slip in the most dishonorable and cowardly way possible._

**Bigguido** - "Wicked the Slade is back this story is getting cooler and cooler. Also this has nothing to do with the story just for those who are interested Slade will be making an appearance in Smallville this coming Friday. Again nothing to do much with the story and smallville not about the titans but still Slade is a bad ass villain thought I should let people know gigity gigity goo."

_What's a Titans story without at least a cameo by everyone's favorite one eyed villain. I'm curious to see how he will be portrayed in Smallville. It would be cool if he was portrayed by Ron Perlman._

**The Cretan** - "Chapters 6 and 7 were terrific. Now we're starting to whittle away at Trigon's plan. Knowing you, it will be a helluva ride to the end. Keep the awesomeness coming."

_My stories might not be the most elegantly written ones, but they aren't boring (I hope)_

**Shyguy1** - "RAVEN IS PREGNANT, I JUST FIGURED IT OUT. I love this story, it makes me sad that I forgot to put it on my alerts list the first time. Well, that's an easy fix. I love this, thank you. And yes, I do happen to think that Cowboy Bebop is one of the greatest animes to ever have graced television with its presence, why do you ask? Anywho, It's great, update soon. toodles. Keep Writing Space Cowboy."

_Raven preggers? No comment. And I wish they had made more episodes of Cowboy Bepop._

**crazynerd** - "Omg omg omg! This is truly an amazing story. You just keep blowing me away with your awesomeness. Words can't describe how I feel right now, I blame my small vocabulary.

I'm soooo excited that I can't wait to see what you have in store next. Update soon. Great job."

_Keep reading (and not just my stuff). It's the best way to increase anyone's vocabulary._

**almostinsane** - "Great chapter! Hmm... I just thought of something. The curse ends once Beast Boy (or maybe Raven) dies. What happens if one is dead just for a second? Thanks for writing this. God bless!"

_Ohh, that would be clever. Kind of reminds me of the Princess Bride._

**TheForgottenHero** - "Hey there! I'm sorry if I've never reviewed before, I just started reading this and I love it. But I swear if you make Raven pregnant I'll flip a lid! I'd love it! But then he'll die and Raven will be stuck with the baby as a reminder of her love... sorry I like to foreshadow... :) Anyway it's cute and it's definitely going on my favs list :)"

_Everyone wants poor Raven to get pregnant! I guess it wouldn't happen due to a lack of trying by the Chromatically Challenged Couple!_

**AWordToTheNot-So-Wise** - "Hmm, very interesting indeed. Slade playing a benevolent role in the Titans search for information? This only thickens the shroud of suspicion hanging over this Evangeline character. As always, I wait with baited breath for your next installment."

_I can't resist having Slade have at least a cameo in a story._

**GreenRock** - "Now we've entered the stage where the twists and turns start occuring. Now that Slade has been thrown into the mix - along with the discovery of this Evangeline character - you've certainly raised the level of my 'interest' bar. Is Slade going to form a coalition with the Titans? What's on the PDA? What's this Evangeline's motive and what's her (possible) connection to Trigon?

All these questions are sure to be answered . . . and I'm convinced that whatever is going to occur in the upcoming chapters, it's going to be brilliant."

_Some questions were answered, but new ones have arisen. Who is Evangeline's mentor, who gave her the broom?_

**FelynxTiger** - "hmm this part reminds me to "fear itself" XD you keep us with more surprises , thats what a good story have , Slade keep his personality in an excellent way, goodjob there, Nice name u give to our antagonist quite simple and easy so see ya next ch."

_I aim to please my readers._

**Maxx** - "I would put this calmly if i wasnt having withdraws from not having more of this story to read... WRITE MORE NOW! *Raven 4 red eyes- tentacles* "

_Consider it done!_

**titanfan45** - "I'm guessing that Raven gaining weight, no matter how little is noteworthy. Slade as the contact to finding Evangeline makes sense, great job in coming up with that. Slade's reasoning for helping them was interesting as he still views himself as an enemy of the Titans. Most enemies would rejoice at their opponent's misfortune, but as Slade has often proven, he's not like most adversaries."

_Slade just loves to mess with Titans' minds, doesn't he?_


	9. The mentor

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The sound of thunder rolled in the distance, echoing throughout the Tower and especially in the evidence room. The afternoon darkness outside mirrored the mood that permeated the Tower, like a thick fog that wouldn't clear up and disappear.

Two days had elapsed since the botched mission to capture Evangeline and Robin sat silently in the lab section of the evidence room, which was more than a mere showcase of the many mementos of past victories over the city's many villains.

Robin was seated in front of a console very similar to the one the Bruce Wayne kept in the Batcave. He fingered through the small address book he had found in the desk in the witch's apartment, as if unsure of what he was looking for. Much to his chagrin it consisted mostly of first names followed by phone numbers.

Robin had tried to trace the phone numbers to their owners but so far every single one was a mobile phone with a prepaid plan, which kept the owner perfectly anonymous. He had the analysis console search the call records for each phone, hoping to find a phone number he could trace back to its owner, but kept hitting the dead end of even more prepaid phones. He grunted his displeasure with his lack of progress, when the door slid open, revealing Raven's figure.

The sorceress was wearing a pair of gym shorts and sweat drenched T-shirt with the Titans' logo on her chest. Her hair was plastered to her scalp and Robin could see the sweat droplets on her extremities. She barged in, carrying a few books and a magic wand with what looked like a crescent moon on its tip. Robin looked up and acknowledged her presence as she headed for a workbench where Evangeline's broom was lying in state, like a dead president or a king. Robin addressed her as she sat down.

"Good workout?" He asked her as she opened one of her books.

"Yeah, great." She replied absentmindedly without looking up from her book. "At least I got back to my original weight." She added as she flipped through the book.

"Raven, is there anything going on I should know about?"

The sorceress paused her research.

"Huh?"

"This weight gaining thing, what's going on? You aren't pregnant, are you?"

Raven rolled her eyes.

"No Robin, I'm not expecting, and why are you staring at me?"

The masked boy grinned sheepishly.

"It's nothing, I'm just surprised you didn't shower first."

Raven looked up from her book.

"I'm sorry. I guess I probably reek." She said as she sniffed herself. "I must smell like a pair of sweat socks."

Robin gave her a friendly chuckle.

"I don't think it's physically possible for you to smell bad Raven. It's just kind of unlike you to not shower first. You've always been so neat and tidy."

Raven responded with a small smile of her own.

"Well, I guess since I bagged Gar I can let myself go now." She replied in her deadpan as she resumed flipping through the book's pages. Robin's immediate response was a grin.

"Did you just crack a joke Raven?"

"What? You think I lack a sense of humor? Or have you forgotten that I fell in love with and married the team clown?" She answered with a hint of annoyance.

"Point taken." He replied. "And for the record I think you look pretty hot when you're all sweaty."

Raven raised an eyebrow, betraying that his comment had caught her off guard.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that from my adoptive big brother."

"What, your brother can't tell you that you're hot?"

"No, he can't" She replied with a small smile on her lips. "My husband wouldn't appreciate it, and neither would Starfire."

Robin snickered at her final remark.

"So what's up? What was so important that you skipped your sacrosanct shower?"

"I thought of something while I was running on the treadmill and I didn't want to wait."

Robin got up and walked over to his 'adopted' sister. Raven was right however, she needed a shower in the worst way possible, but Robin's face did not betray what his nose told him. He picked up the magic wand and examined it. It had a modern appearance, with a translucent crystalline shaft that had a prism like effect on the light that shone through it.

"I've never seen you use one of these before."

"I suppose there's a first time for everything." She replied as she resumed flipping through the book's pages again before stopping.

"I've been approaching this the wrong way Robin. I've been trying to learn more about Evangeline through her broom. That was counterproductive and for good reason: It's not hers, someone gave it to her. So I found an old medieval spell that will help me find that person."

"And that's where …"

"The wand comes in." She completed the sentence for him.

Robin stroked his chin the way he always did when he had an idea.

"Raven, Starfire told me once that you can contact the spirit world. Is it possible to contact Evangeline that way?"

"If she is willing I might be able to contact her, but from what we saw on her note I doubt she would accede."

"What if you offer to bring her back to life, like Trigon did with Slade?"

"I can't revive the truly dead; no one can, except for God. Trigon didn't bring Slade back to life, he saved him before he died, keeping him in an undead kind of state, withholding Slade's flesh and blood."

It was then that the console chimed, drawing Robin's attention back to its cybernetic presence. Robin walked up to it and smiled.

"Find something?" She asked.

"It's nothing major, just a friend of hers. But I have an address." He replied as he tapped on the keyboard, summoning a hardcopy of the report. As soon as the printout was complete he snapped it up and folded it before storing it in his utility belt.

"His name's Scott Perry." Robin said as he prepared to leave. "Maybe he knows something. I'll catch you later Raven …"

The sorceress grabbed the Boy Wonder's wrist as he walked past her. He turned and looked into her weary face.

"Dick … I just wanted to say thanks … for everything. You have no idea how much your support means to me … and Gar."

Robin leaned over and pecked Raven on the cheek.

"Anything for my sis." He replied before dashing out the door.

Robin leaned the R-Cycle into the sharp curve, twisting the throttle as he accelerated through the canyon like boulevard that carved up the posh La Mirada neighborhood. As he zoomed up the street the mansions slipped by, like telegraph poles swishing past a train in an old western movie.

Robin could only wonder what was Scott Perry's relationship to Sarah McDougall, AKA Evangeline. The two individuals came from completely different worlds. Perry was the son of privilege, the scion of one of Jump City's oldest and wealthiest families. His father was a senior partner at Perry, Jones and Smith, which was perhaps Jump City's most prestigious law firm and was heir to a fortune that rivaled Bruce Wayne's.

Sarah McDougall had grown up on the other side of the tracks. She was born into a dysfunctional home and had been seized by Child Protection Services at a tender age, and had bounced between foster homes until she turned 18. She had been extremely rebellious during her teen years and in addition to being sexually active and involved with drugs she had another, unfortunate stain on her record: She had dabbled in Trigonic worship.

As Robin pulled up to the Perry estate the huge wrought iron gates open automatically, as he had made an appointment with Scott, who was still underage, and his father Roger, who insisted that he would do all the talking and that his son should keep his mouth shut. He made his way up the long driveway, which reminded him of the one back at Wayne Manor and when he reached the front door a butler was waiting for him.

"Greetings Mr. … Robin, if you will follow me this way please. Mister and Master Perry are waiting for you in the library." The butler greeted him with a Bostonian accent.

Robin was led through the mansion, which he noticed was much newer and less interesting than Wayne Manor, still he felt a strong sense of nostalgia as he followed the butler to the library. Soon they reached a large pair of cheery wood doors, which the butler opened and then announced their arrival.

"Robin of the Teen Titans has arrived sir."

"Thank you Wooster, that will be all." Roger Perry replied as he rose from his desk. A teenager who bore a resemblance to the lawyer sat contritely in an oversized wingback chair.

"What can I do for you, Robin of the Teen Titans?" Mr. Perry asked. "Hopefully this has nothing to do with my son." He gestured at an empty chair. "Please have a seat."

Robin politely accepted the offer and sat down in another wingback chair.

"I'm investigating a suicide Mr. Perry, and I have reason to believe that your son is acquainted with the deceased."

"If it's a suicide then there isn't anything to investigate is there?" The shyster replied.

"Not exactly." The Boy wonder replied. "The deceased committed a crime before killing herself and we're hoping that your son might help us shed some light on what happened."

"And how would he do that?"

"Easy." Robin replied. "Scott, just tell me everything you know about Sarah McDougall."

"Sarah McDougall?" Roger interrupted. "Scott, is she one of your classmates at the prep school? I'm not familiar with that name."

"Neither am I." Scott replied.

"We found your name and cell phone # in her address book." Robin interjected as he flashed the tattered address book.

"May I see that?" Roger asked the Boy Wonder. Robin handed the book to Roger, who examined the page carefully.

"What is the meaning of this Scott? Who was this girl?" His father grilled him.

"I don't know any Sarah McDougall." He replied adamantly.

"Do you know an Evangeline?" Robin asked.

Scott's face fell when he heard the question.

"Are you saying Eva's dead?" He stammered. His father frowned upon seeing his reaction.

"Scott, say nothing more."

"Was she your girlfriend?"

"Don't answer the question."

Robin reached into his utility belt and extracted a Ziploc bag that contained one of the used condoms found in Evangeline' bedroom.

"We found this and many more at her apartment. I can get a court order for a DNA test if necessary."

Roger took his son to the far corner of the room and they exchanged whispers for a few minutes, after which Roger addressed Robin.

"If the matter is kept confidential we will cooperate with you."

"Don't worry; I don't intend to drag the Perry's good name through the mud, you have a deal. Now Scott, if you'll tell me everything you know about Evangeline, starting with how you met her."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Robin returned to the Tower he headed straight back to the evidence room, where he found Raven still hunched over the broomstick with a frown on her face, mindlessly twirling the magic wand in her hand.

"Any luck Raven?"

Raven stopped playing with the wand and put it down on the work table.

"No … well, not exactly." She sighed."How about you?"

"Scott Perry proved to be a very useful contact. I learned all sorts of things about Evangeline."

"Such as?"

"Where's your boy toy? I think he should hear this."

"My husband is not a boy, and he's not my 'toy' either."

Robin smiled as he issued a mock apology.

"Forgive me my impertinence milady, so where's your man?"

"He made me some lunch and went to take a nap."

"That's not like him, why isn't he pestering you like he always did when he was younger?"

Raven rolled her eyes before answering.

"You know very well that he only did that to get my attention."

Robin chuckled.

"And he gets plenty of that every night now, doesn't he?" Robin said as he wagged his eyebrows.

"Don't go there Robin. What's with you anyway? Are you trying to take his place as the team's pest? Because if you are, you're doing a great job."

Robin ignored Raven's barb.

"If he's napping we can tell him later. Here's the scoop:"

Robin sat down before continuing.

"Perry met Evangeline at a rave almost a year ago. They hit it off almost immediately."

"Isn't she kind of low rent for someone like him?" Raven asked.

"Definitely, you should have seen his father's face when he admitted they were lovers. Anyway this went on for several months when with no warning she dumped him, about three months ago."

"So what happened? Was Daddy Warbucks not giving her enough baubles or something?"

Robin shook his head.

"He said that she gave him no reason, she just broke up with him. Perry then began to work her network of friends, tracking them down at the hangouts where had seen them before. At first they were very tight lipped about what had happened and even a little hostile towards him. Eventually he got some information. Turns out she was hanging with some guy named Andreas."

Raven gasped.

"What is it Raven?"

"That's who enchanted this broom."

Robin perked up.

"Really? What else do you know about him?"

Raven sighed.

"Nothing, except that he's a good sorcerer. He put a powerful knowledge block on the broom. I'm lucky that I was able to get his name out of it. What else did you find out Robin?"

"Perry says that once he found out about Andreas that all of Evangeline's friends just vanished. He hasn't run into a single one of them, which might explain why none of them answer their mobile phones. I'm guessing that they're all like her, runaways who are squatting in condemned buildings. But there is more."

"They dabbled in magic too?" Raven asked.

"Or at least they tried. At least that's what Perry heard at the cafés where they used to hang out. And they all looked up to Evangeline. I asked Perry if he could remember when she started to dress like you, he said that must have happened after they broke up."

"Must have?"

"He never saw her again, at least not when she was alive. I took him to the morgue and he ID'd her."

"So where do we go from here Robin? Are you going to check your database?"

"I will, but I don't expect to find him. Perry says that the friends told him that Andreas was a foreigner, that he sounded German. No photos but I did get a description…"

"Let me guess, he's young, tall, blond and blue eyed. He'll stand out like a sore thumb back at home." She replied sarcastically.

"Perry mentioned that someone said that they thought he was from Austria, but that's it."

"Maybe Ranesh knows something…" She mumbled under her breath.

"What's that Raven?"

Raven stood up from her chair. Robin couldn't help but notice that while she looked as lean and muscular as ever that her hips looked … wider?

"I'm going to do some investigating of my own." She announced. "I'll be back by dinnertime."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Raven! You are back again so soon!" Ranesh cheered as she walked into his store mid afternoon. "You should bring your young man by one evening; the entire community is simply dying to meet him."

Raven smiled softly.

"I suppose I will, maybe I'll bring him next week for the equinox festivities."

"That would be wonderful Raven; I'll let everyone know …"

Raven raised her hand to stop him.

"I must apologize Ranesh, but this isn't a social visit."

The old man nodded.

"I understand my dear. What can I do for you?"

"Tell me about Andreas."

"You mean the Austrian?" He asked.

"I believe so. Turns out he and Evangeline were an item if I'm not mistaken."

The old man grimaced.

"That they were, much to everyone's chagrin. We never told you about her Raven, she was very strange. She was a wannabe, a hack. She had learned some spells but had no talent, unlike you. At first she hung out with some rich boy from La Mirada. He used her; at least that was the word on the street. Then Andreas appeared out of nowhere. "

"What was he like?"

"Very smooth and suave. I think he is from a noble family, he had the polish. He visited Amorista Lane occasionally, you know, to buy supplies and such. He's a powerful sorcerer Raven, almost as good as you are. Anyway, one day he showed up here with Evangeline and a one eyed man wearing armor."

"Slade." Raven interrupted. "Sorry, please continue."

"So that's his name. He still comes here occasionally, by himself."

"Don't let him in Ranesh, keep him out. He's bad news."

"We already figured that out my dear. He's been banished. But back to Andreas and Evangeline, at around that time, a bit over two months ago she changed her look …"

"And started to dress like me?"

"Yes my dear, how did you know? No one has seen her in over a month."

"I have. She's dead."

Ranesh frowned.

"I see, that's most unfortunate." He replied. "What happened to her?"

"We believe that she killed herself, which is why we need to track down this Andreas. We think he might have had something to do with her demise."

Ranesh nodded, and motioned for her to follow him into his office. His study was a dusty old place, stacked with boxes full of scrolls and shelves groaning under the weight of countless ancient books. He walked up to a wooden file cabinet and extracted a blank scroll from it. He unrolled and placed it on his desk. A wand was produced out of the folds of his robe and he tapped the scroll with it three times, each time repeating: "revela"

Text began to appear on the scroll and as Raven watched a picture of who must have been Andreas appeared as well. The man was young and was the epitome of Aryan perfection: bond, athletic build and flawlessly chiseled good looks. Even though he wasn't her type Raven had to admit to herself that he was very handsome.

"Take this my dear, and do be careful. This man is not to be trifled with. It would be wise to take someone with you, someone magical."

Raven took the scroll from him and thanked. She then paused, as if thinking.

"Ranesh, I need another favor."

"For you my dear, anything you need."

"Can you make a ministra pendant for me?"

"It will be my pleasure. I think I have the perfect stone for it too." He replied as he opened another drawer. He removed a flawless emerald from it and showed it to her.

"He will make a fantastic ministra magi, of that I have no doubt." He smiled. "I will have it ready by tomorrow. I will need a strand of your hair though."

Raven nodded and plucked a hair from her scalp, handing it to Ranesh.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

So what is Raven up to? Ministra magi? Stay tuned.

And now its mail bag time! We've reached a new record for this story. 19 reviews in chapter 8. The only time I did better than that was on the final chapter of "The Wild Man's Journey", which had 20 reviews! Come on gang, you can break that record, I know you can (shamelessly pandering for reviews )

**The One They Call Shamis** - "Holy hell! Did not see that one coming. This is one hell of a roller coaster ride so far, and I hope it keeps coming. Amazing story!"

_Holy Hell? Isn't that an oxymoron? LOL! Just kidding! Thanks for your kind words._

**St. Jack of randomness** - "DUUDE! The end of this chapter was rather morbid, the Titans were so CLOSE, only to find the girl dead and hanging. How are Mr. and Mrs. Logan going to break the curse now? Oh well, keep up the AWESOME work man! :D"

_Raven can be perseverant._

**Shyguy1** - "Ok, maybe I'm jumping ahead. Anywho, this is great. Keep writing more. Maybe Robin is going to do the same thing he did with Slade and try to retrieve evangeline... Just speculating. Once more I say, Keep Writing Space Cowboy"

_I have to admit, you guys come up with a lot of great ideas. Too bad I can't use them all._

**TheForgottenHero** - ":) I liked this chapter a lot. It just had a lot of suspense and I just really like it. I like how you used Japanese magic and I couldn't help but think of Trouble in Tokyo while reading it. But technically, she could be pregnant cause you can get pregnant of the first time.. possibly? I don't know.. :) But OMG she's dead? Now she's going to go to Raven's Daddy and stir up some trouble... o.0 "

To be honest I borrowed the paper doll idea (and others to come) from Negima! I might have to send a thank you card to Ken Akamatsu.

**xXCanaryXx** - "Omg...

DIE EVANGELINE!DIIIEEE! Oh wait. She is dead. Oops

Does she really think that Trigon will accept her?

I mean, Slade tried something kinda like that and he is a big-shot villian (more like loser, he just wants Rob as an apprentice wow...) But then again, yuh never know.

I was laughing my brains out with the letter, hehe i like what she said at the end, her goodbye was soo hilarious. I feel really bad for Rae, but pity does nothing as many know. I read some of the mailbox stuff and i saw that some people thought Rae was goin preggo. I remember that but now that i think back, i kinda brushed it off as jothin, ya know. Now that i think about it tho, maybe it's got something to do with the curse? But she probably aint preggo, they only had..'you know what' once. Not that big a chance.

I kinda got creeped out with the dead body. But it IS a dead body, typical thing to be a bit spooked.

Now, we hav to find evangelines teacher, aka the dude who gave her that dasterdly broom.

As always, i anticipate the next chapter! :)"

_Actually, several weeks have passed since the wedding, so they've had cough plenty of opportunities._

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "What A god damn it, to pull off suicide, now you're gonna get F'd up all over when you're in hell, trust me once in hell she's gonna re enact her suicide over and over again for eternity."

_Yeah, one would think the Eva is going to be a bit "disappointed" with her "reward"._

**wolfenstien** - "Great fic dude, and I'm glad you're back writing... you are one of the few great TT fanfic author's :D"

_Thanks! Your words are deeply appreciated. Being the talented artist that you are your words carry extra weight._

**Anon** - "Yay! Another story from you! I was saddened to read in your discontinued "Tough Times..." story line that you might not be writing anymore. I even stopped visiting fanfic for a while. Then loandbehold, I come back and see another one from you! Huzza to you! Loving the storyline so far. Read all 8 chapters in one sitting, it was so damn good. The way you wrote the note that was pinned to Evangeline's body was phrased so well, I was expecting to read that Raven incinerated the body afterwards! Very good on the whole "you're a bad daughter, a traitor, you don't know your place" aspect. I for one would like very much to see Raven forsake her human blood if only for a chance to see her go full demon; especially written by you. Have a big ole slobberknocker between Demon Raven and the Beast. Well, looking forward to your next update!"

_I had a lot of fun writing Eva's suicide note. It is also tempting to have Raven go full demon, but she has her moral code. Still, you never know..._

**GreenRock** - "Well, I think it's safe to say now that Rae and BB are virtually screwed; now that Evangeline has topped herself . . . brilliant twist to the story though.

Something tells me that Trigon will be making another appearance sometime soon . . . and Evangeline for that matter. Whoever her mentor is, will surely know how to help the CCC break the curse; even if it means going to hell and back - literally.

Now that there are hints that Rae is pregnant (I have the other commenter's to thank for that one; I didn't even spot that one in the previous chapter) this story has just gotten juicier, and I'm salivating bucket loads as we speak.

Another superb chapter."

_Thanks. I was really pleased with chapter 8 and I'm happy to see that you guys liked it as well._

**still too old for this **-"Well, that's different.

You know, I actually enjoy the little slices of life segments better than the 'action' segments. The interplay between BB and Robin was excellent. A nice push from BB to the eternally delaying Robin.

The story's moving along quite nicely. I admit, the suicide of Evangelina was a bit of a surprise.

Question: Since it has been well established that Raven is a very talented sorceress, now that Evangelina is dead, could Raven practice a little necromancy and raise her spirit from wherever. I would assume that she isn't finding her current abode to be quite the vacation spot she expected. (Demons are notorious for being unappreciative.)

I don't imagine a little thing like dark magic would get in her way when it's Gar's life that hangs in the balance.

Just a thought. Please continue, I'm finding this fascinating."

_LOL! I was hoping it would be different. As others have pointed out they do seem to be in a pickle now._

**AllYourWafflesBelongToMe** - "Another great chapter! Thanks for making my day with this well-written story! :D the Force is indeed strong with you!"

_I keep trying to levitate stuff, but nothing happens!_

**AWordToTheNot-So-Wise** - "Again you throw another twist into the plot just as I thought that a floodlight was going to be shed unto it. Another well written chapter although I don't think the scene between Rob and B was quite on par with what you've shown you can do, it just seemed to be a little bit hurried. Anywho, that is my only bit of criticism this time around. Once again, just like to say another thrilling installment in what is turning out to be quite a little gem of a tale and keep up the good work."

_In hindsight I could have done a little better with Robin and BB's midnight chat. Oh well!_

**FelynxTiger** - "Quite deep moment between Robin and Gar playing with the relationships between the member of the team is just awesome and the way you do it let me chase of the false Evangeline it was truthly stupendous , D: I freak out of what they found in the ceiling. Can't wait to know what could possibly awaits for our Heroes!11one1!"

_And then again other people liked the chat scene. _

**Thowell3** - "I usually like your writing but for some odd reason I like yet also dislike where this story is headed. But it is your story, and you're a really good author heck I would probably really enjoy working on a collaborative story with you, that way we both know what would happen."

_I'm blazing new trails (for me) with this story, so bear with me. And thanks for your kind words._

**The Cretan** - "The interaction between Logan and Grayson in the first half was good. They never had much in the animated series. I'm not a Robin fan but every character needs their spot and you pulled that off rather well. I have to ask, are you a fan of the comics?"

_These days I'm reading manga (guess which one?), and haven't had the opportunity to read about the Titans in their comics. I'm also glad you like to Robin and BB chat._

**almostinsane** - "Great chapter! LOL. From reading your reviews, it seems everyone wants Raven pregnant. Now that would be interesting...

I can't wait for Raven and Beast Boy (along with the other Titans) to kick some cultists' ass. Thanks for writing this. God bless!"

_Everybody does seem to want her to get preggers. But as you can see I put that rumor to bed ... for now._

**titanfan45** - "I imagine that Evangeline is currently very disappointed with the "reward" that she is likely not getting. Beat Boy and Robin's late night conversation was well written and I hope Robin listens to Beast Boy for once."

_For once Robin had to listen, as BB definitely was the wiser one this time._

**Ferlion12** - "A new raven huh? Well, this could be interesting if played up."

_So many options and choices. What do I do with Eva now? _

**KingofRandom117** - "Dead witch-fake with clear mental problems"

_Oh yeah, Eva wasn't coloring with a full box of crayons!_


	10. Partners in Magic

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As Raven emerged from Amorista lane her stomach growled. She had skipped lunch again and it was now late in the afternoon. The autumn sun was hanging low in the sky and a chill was felt in the air. She still had some spare time before dinner and decided to take another step in her investigation.

The parchment that Ranesh gave her showed Andreas' face. He was a handsome man, and looked to be in his early twenties. There was not much textual information on the scroll, other than he was Austrian, possibly of noble descent and was a skilled sorcerer. It also said that he had last been seen with Slade in Amorista lane over a month ago.

This information was superficial at best and Raven knew that she would need something better than that if she were to have any hope of tracking the man down.

The sorceress raised her arms and became airborne. The downtown crowd had dispersed as the evening twilight approached, and a few of the remaining pedestrians pointed at the familiar sight of the blue caped Titan silently flying against the city's skyline.

Raven picked up the pace and felt the wind buffet her hood and cape as she rushed to her destination. Within a few minutes she was flying over the business district. A few of its factories were busy as they had weekend shifts, but for the most part it was as quiet as a graveyard. The lack of motor vehicle traffic gave the area an eerie feeling, which was accentuated by the many abandoned and empty factories and warehouses that dotted its landscape.

Raven chose the most desolate section of the district and glided down to the surface, landing as gracefully as a butterfly, without making a sound. She raised her hand to her forehead and scrunching her eyes she focused intensely, as she reached out and searched for her prey.

She could sense him, he wasn't far away but wasn't nearby either. She wished Beast Boy was with her as he could have morphed into a bloodhound and helped her find her target. But this was her task, and she had no intention of endangering her beloved.

She decided to wander around, hoping to draw him out to her, if that didn't work she would return to the Tower as she wished to keep her mission a secret, at least for now.

She wandered for about 20 minutes and was about to call it a night when she rounded a corner and found she had succeeded in her objective.

She was suddenly surrounded by more than fifty of his robots which all drew their laser pistols in a single motion, as if they were a team of synchronized swimmers. Raven raised her bubble shield around her and addressed the throng.

"I want to speak with your boss." She addressed them in her monotone.

The droids all holstered their weapons and switched to a ready stance.

"So you seek me a second time Raven?" A disembodied masculine monotone addressed her. "I'm flattered, but I hope Beast Boy doesn't get jealous, I'd prefer to not have to fight with the Beast over the hand of the fair Raven." He taunted her.

Raven dropped her shield and addressed the one eyed villain.

"I have questions Slade."

"Don't we all?" He replied. "It's finding an answer that is tricky. I must say, it's very bold of you to come here alone. I was under the impression since the Titans were nearly defeated by the Brotherhood of Evil that Robin had forbidden solo missions."

"I'm not afraid of you Slade. Have you forgotten the trashing I gave you in Trigon's underground temple?"

The villain chuckled as he emerged from the forest of robots that surrounded the sorceress.

"I will never forget that day Raven, and neither will your friends, for now they know what darkness truly lurks deep within you."

"That darkness died the day I became the portal."

"Of course." Slade replied in a mock apology. "The 'new' Raven was born that day. But you didn't come here to reminisce over our past collaboration, have you? You want to learn more about Andreas, am I correct?"

"Yes" She replied tersely.

"Well, fortunately for you, I know a great deal about the Austrian sorcerer."

"Well?" She grilled him. Slade chuckled.

"I gave you a freebie last time Raven, oh and nice job botching Evangeline's capture."

Raven felt her jaw tense up.

"What do you want Slade?" She asked between clenched teeth.

"Information. If I'm going to give you some information, I expect some in return."

Raven's fists balled, her fingernails digging into her palms.

"I can't do that Slade. But if you prefer I can give you another beating."

"Don't bother." Slade replied as he removed his mask, revealing the robotic circuitry that was underneath.

"I should have known, you sent a proxy. So what do you want to know Slade?"

The robot had a flat panel monitor on its face, which came to life and displayed the real Slade who was hidden at a safe distance.

"Nothing that will compromise your honor as a Titan if you tell me." He replied. "I am curious Raven."

The demoness was beginning to tire of Slade's games.

"Curious about what?"

Slade paused before answering.

"Why Beast Boy?" He asked, then followed with a taunt. "You could have done much better Raven, why did you aim so low?"

Raven stared at the one eyed villain's image, stunned.

"Did I hit a nerve Raven?"

"This is pointless, I'm leaving …"

"Now, now Raven, don't you want to learn more about Andreas, who I might add, I think would have been a better match for you than the green idiot?"

Raven clenched her teeth. She did want to learn more about the Austrian sorcerer, so she held her tongue.

"Fine, I'll play your stupid game Slade."

"So why him Raven, is it because he's well endowed perhaps?"

"Why is this important to you Slade?" She replied, ignoring his cheap shot.

"Mere intellectual curiosity Raven. I am puzzled, to say the least. You are completely superior to him, in every way. You are a genius, he's a fool."

"He is not!" She snarled. "Have you forgotten about how he led us back from defeat against the Brotherhood of Evil?"

"Fair enough, but even you have to admit that his intellect pales next to your own. Are you threatened by intelligent men Raven?"

"Is there anything else Slade?" She asked, the exasperation and impatience clear in her voice.

"You are also more powerful than him Raven. I suppose that comes in handy when you bully him, and you do have a history of that. Nothing like keeping your man in check I suppose, correct Raven? At least we know who wears the pants in your marriage."

"Shut up Slade!" She hissed angrily.

Slade resumed chuckling. It was evident to Raven that he was clearly enjoying tormenting her.

"So tell me Raven, why him?"

"You'd never understand Slade, never!"

"Try me, you might be surprised."

"You've never loved anyone Slade, you couldn't possibly understand."

"I have a son and a daughter."

Jericho and Ravager. Raven still couldn't believe that Jericho was Slade's own flesh and blood. He had to have taken after his mother she reasoned. As for Ravager, that was believable.

"Who did you rape?" She asked in a blatant insult.

"Believe it or not Raven, I did love my wife."

The sorceress responded at first with a derisive snort.

"I find that hard to believe. Was she an evil genius like you? Was she as strong as you?"

"No she was not."

"So you consider her to be your inferior?"

"No." Slade replied. His mind seemed distant, as if he had been transported somewhere else. "She was superior to me. She was so many things I am not, and if she were still alive I would probably not be who I became."

Raven paused before replying.

"Then I don't need to tell you why, you already know."

"Interesting Raven. I see that we are more alike than even I would have thought."

"Don't flatter yourself Slade. Now tell me about Andreas."

"You believe that he cast the spell, and not Evangeline?"

"I am certain of that. Evangeline was a hack, and the spell was cast perfectly. The caster did such a good job that I was unable to detect it. That was beyond the abilities of a neophyte like Evangeline."

Slade nodded.

"Andreas never claimed to have cast the spell, but I agree with your assessment. He probably did it."

"So where can I find him?"

"In Salzburg. His full name is Andreas Von Zweig. His family is wealthy and owns several key properties and businesses in the city. You will probably find him lounging in the bar at the Hotel Salzburg, which his family owns, usually with arm candy draped over each arm. Oh, and he's also trained in Eastern magic, so beware of that as well."

"Thank you Slade." Raven said as she turned away from him, preparing to leave.

"Raven, a warning. Andreas can be a formidable opponent, do not underestimate him. I recommend you take someone with you. Someone strong, someone … reliable."

"I intend to Slade."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Beast Boy woke up first the following morning. Raven had been a little evasive when he asked her what she had found out about the mysterious Austrian. She had promised to tell him the following day, claiming that it would make more sense. Also, she said that she wasn't in the mood to dwell on it that night.

The changeling smiled, as she had told him the truth. He slid closer to Raven's still sleeping, unclothed form and wrapped his arms around her. She opened her eyes and moaned softly, melting into his arms as she dozed back off to sleep. The memories of the previous night still lingered in his mind, bringing a smile to his face.

Raven's violet hair was now shoulder length, which she had allowed to grow that long at his request. He ran his fingers through her locks, careful to not disturb her.

This was definitely the silver lining in the gray cloud that hovered over them, something to help him forget about the mysterious curse, which perplexed him more than ever. There had been a few missions in the past few weeks, and the truth was that neither he nor Raven had been in any real danger during those outings. In fact, other than their failed attempt to capture Evangeline, the only noteworthy thing that had happened was that Raven traded her blue cape and black leotard for an all white ensemble, which was neatly draped over the back of a nearby chair.

The changeling buried his face deep into the nape of her neck, inhaling her unique floral scent. She shifted in her sleep, pulling away from him, twisting until she found a new, comfortable sleeping position. They both had their backs to the window and at that moment a stray beam of sunlight slipped through where the curtains parted and landed on the back of Raven's head, illuminating it in its splendor.

Beast Boy continued to play with his wife's flowing locks, and that was when he saw it.

A gray hair.

Gently he separated the single gray strand from the rest of her hair and began to fuss over it as he examined it. He searched some more, looking for additional silver hairs but found none. Raven suddenly stirred and jerked.

"What are you doing Gar?" She mumbled, still half asleep.

"I found a gray hair."

"You did? Where?" She asked.

"I found it on you."

"Pull it out." She commanded him, now fully awake. He complied and with a swift motion he yanked it out and examined it.

"I got the root and everything." He informed her.

Raven sat up, frowning unhappily. She extended her hand and he handed her the offending hair, which she examined carefully.

"I can't have gray hairs, I still have zits."

"No you don't. You've never had a zit."

"I had one just three months ago. But why do I have gray hairs?"

"Uh, cuz you're stressing out a lot?"

Raven was about to rebuke him when there was a loud rapping on the door.

"Who's there?" She called out.

"It is I, Starfire. A package arrived for you Raven, from someone named Ranesh."

Raven tossed her gray hair aside and leaped out of the bed, covering her naked form with a bathrobe.

"Just a second Starfire." She called out as she grabbed Beast Boy's robe from the chair it was draped over and tossed it at him.

"You aren't decent, put it on."

"You thought I was pretty decent last night." He replied as he wagged his eyebrows.

"Shut up Gar and just put it on."

Beast Boy snickered as he slipped on the sumptuous Turkish bathrobe, a gift from Ranesh. Once Raven was satisfied that they were presentable she waved her hand and the bedroom door slid open. Starfire entered the room bearing a small box that was tied shut with a purple bow. Raven ran up to her and took the box from the Tamaranian, who was unable to hide her blatant curiosity regarding the gift.

Raven opened the box and lifted a silver colored chain out of it. On the end of the chain was a star shaped pendant with a dazzling emerald in its center.

Starfire beamed her approval of the fine bauble.

"It is very pretty Raven, it will look nice around your neck."

Raven turned and walked up her husband, placing the pendant around his neck.

"It's not for me, it's for Gar."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Starfire returned to the common room with a puzzled look on her face. Robin was reading a forensics magazine as he sat at the table and looked up when she entered. Cyborg was gathering ingredients to prepare some lunch for everyone, which included some tofu hot dogs for the Logans.

"I can't believe that B's got Raven eating this crap."

Robin gave him a cross look.

"Don't say anything; Raven is concerned about gaining weight for some reason. Just let it be."

Cyborg paused from his preparations and went slack jawed.

"Is Raven preggers?"

Starfire looked even more confused.

"What is this 'preggers' Cyborg speaks of? Is it a disease? Or is it a special occasion when wives give jewelry to their husbands?"

The two young men slowly turned towards the princess, each doing a double take.

"She did what?" They asked at the same time.

As if on cue the sliding doors parted open, revealing the Chromatically Challenged Couple™. Cyborg and Robin immediately noticed the star shaped pendant hanging around the changeling's neck and both boys gave him what at best could be described as a disturbed look.

"Uh guys, why are you staring at me?"

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air, permeating it with its embarrassing stillness. After what felt like an eternity Cyborg shook his head and opened his mouth.

"B, why are you wearing a necklace?"

Raven glared at the tin man. She then heaved a heavy sigh.

"It's not a fashion statement, if that's what you're wondering." She replied in an icy voice.

"Well, that's a relief." Robin replied with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "So I guess there's another reason?"

Raven and Beast Boy sat down at the dining table.

"I was about to explain that." She announced in her monotone. "But before I do I have something else to announce … Gar and I are going to Europe, Salzburg, Austria to be precise."

Starfire clasped her hands together and grinned.

"You are finally going to partake of the moon of honey? Am I correct friends?"

"Not exactly Star." Beast Boy replied. "We're going in a mission."

"It's Andreas, isn't it?" Robin interjected. "You're going to find Andreas."

"Who's Andreas?" Cyborg asked.

"I'll let you handle that one Rae. Want some tea?" The changeling asked as he stood up. Raven nodded silently before turning back to the tin man.

"After performing some research, with some help from Robin, we found out that Evangeline had a mentor: Andreas Von Zweig. He's a powerful sorcerer from Europe and I have reason to believe that he is the one who cast the curse on the Maskil figurine. We're going to find and confront him."

Robin scratched his chin as Beast Boy placed a cup of herbal tea before her and joined her at the table.

"I don't think it's a good idea having the two of you face him alone, we should come with you."

"I appreciate the gesture Robin, but Andreas is a powerful sorcerer. The three of you wouldn't be of much help in subduing him."

"And the grass still will?" Cyborg asked. "Last time I checked he wasn't a wizard."

Raven gave a subtle smile.

"That's where the pendant comes in."

The other three Titans fell silent and their expressions said the same thing: 'please explain'.

"As I already said, the pendant isn't a fashion statement. As long as Gar wears it he's my 'ministra magi'."

"And?" Robin added, the impatience and curiosity dripping from his voice.

"I'll keep this short. Since Gar is my mate I can share my magical powers with him. Back in our room I used the pendant to seal a magical covenant between us, making him my 'ministra magi' or 'magical minister'. As long as he is wearing the pendant he can access and use my magic powers."

"Whoa!" Cyborg moaned. "You mean he'll be able to use your dark energy and all that stuff. That is so cool!"

"Not exactly. While Gar will have access to my powers, they will manifest themselves within him in ways that will enhance his own natural powers. At this point even I don't know how that will work out."

Robin raised an eyebrow.

"I think a demonstration is in order." The human traffic light announced.

"I thought you'd never ask dude." Beast Boy replied. "I can't wait to try it!"

"To summon my powers Gar just needs to say the capture word, which he selected from a comic book…"

"Manga." He corrected her.

"From a Japanese manga book. Are you ready Gar?"

The changeling nodded eagerly and cleared his throat.

"Adeat!" He shouted.

And nothing happened. No clap of thunder, no flash of lightning. Nothing.

"Looks like your pendant's a dud Raven." Cyborg intoned.

No sooner than Cyborg pronounced the demonstration to be a failure Beast Boy cracked a huge grin.

"Dudes! I feel awesome!" He shouted as he flexed his arms.

Starfire approached him with a reserved expression.

"How much of the awesome are you feeling friend?"

"Awesome enough to arm wrestle you Star, and win!" He shouted as he sat back down at the table, extending his arm in a direct challenge to the princess.

"That'll be the day. Go ahead grass stain, it's your funeral!" Cyborg teased him.

Starfire smiled slyly and accepted the changeling's challenge. As the others gathered around them she sat down opposite from him and they locked hands, ready to battle each other.

"On my mark then!" Cyborg shouted. "Ready, set, GO!"

The princess jumped ahead and the changeling's green arm began to yield and the small audience figured that the match was all but over. But they were wrong. With just inches between his knuckles and the table top remaining he grinned. Without breaking a sweat he pushed the princess back. Starfire was unable to hide the astonishment she was feeling and soon she was sweating as Beast Boy quickly recovered his lost territory and began to push into her own. She was determined to not lose and began to grunt; summoning every ounce of her strength, but it was futile. Within a few moments her knuckles touched the table's surface and the match was over. She stared in disbelief at Beast Boy, still unable to accept that he had defeated her so easily. The changeling stood up and celebrated with a victory dance while Raven rolled her eyes.

"That was impressive." Robin announced stoically. "But unless Andreas agrees to an arm wrestling challenge I don't see how this is going to help."

Once again the changeling grinned.

"You ain't seen nothing yet Bird Boy!"

Beast Boy stepped back and instantly transformed into the Beast, towering over his teammates.

"Ok, I'm impressed, you were able to transform into the Beast at will. That is very good…" Robin announced, and was interrupted by the Beast who raised his paw like hand.

"Now what's he gonna do?" Cyborg asked.

The Beast threw its head back and emitted a deafening roar. Then to everyone's astonishment, including Raven's, he began to split. Within a moment there were two Beasts standing before them, then 4, then 8 and finally there were 16 incarnations of the Beast. The room was filled with multiple instances of the changeling's alter ego.

"Holy Billy Numerous!" Cyborg shouted in utter disbelief.

"I think we made our point Gar." Raven addressed the first copy of the Beast which nodded at her. The copies of the Beast began to merge back into one.

"He isn't limited to what you just saw, if anything he's just barely scratched on the surface of what he can do."

Soon Beast Boy was back in his human form.

"There is only one downside to this. The longer he's in this mode, the weaker I become, so he has to release the powers back to me. At most he can use them for perhaps two minutes, any longer and I'd probably faint, in fact I'm already feeling a bit fatigued."

The changeling nodded and shouted "Abeat!" and the confident expression on his face vanished.

"It's gone now." He announced dejectedly. "Now I'm just me."

"I'm sorry Gar. I've been told that coming off the invocation is like hitting a wall. One moment your experiencing euphoria, and then suddenly you're not." She said as she wrapped an arm around his shoulder, giving him a consoling hug.

"So what's your plan Raven?"

"We'll be leaving as soon as possible, travelling by airline and undercover, courtesy of Cyborg's holorings." Raven announced.

"We won't head straight to where he lives, in Salzburg." Beast Boy added. "Instead we're gonna visit a bunch of wizards and sorceresses to learn as much as we can about him, you know, find his weak spot and all that. Then when his guard is down we'll capture him."

"That's the plan." Raven finished reporting. "I trust there are no objections?"

Robin crossed his arms.

"So tell us what else you know about this Austrian wizard Raven. I'm curious, how did you guys learn he's from Salzburg?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thanks everyone, the reviews have been just pouring in! I hope to keep you intrigued with our wild romp in Europe. Will Andreas prove to be a daunting foe? Does he have a solution to their problem? Stay tuned.

**ComposerDragon** - "SUPER GASP!

if i wasnt captivated before (yeah right, this story had me from the first... 7 seven words, i think. maybe less) i sure am now! (could you follow that sentence with those parenthesis in the middle? sorry if you cant!)

whats gonna happen now? there's an Austrian, and dead wannabe witch, a curse, and a possibly pregnant sorceress. that's a potent mix.

i can't wait to see what happens next! IMA GONNA EXPLODE FROM ALL DA TENSION! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-boom-!

hehe... yeah...

nice job! keep writing, and i'll be eagerly waiting at my inbox for your next update like the fanatic i truly am."

_Thanks! I brainstormed this entire story with Novus Ordo Seclorum. Unlike you, he knows how this story is going to end. The rest of you will just have to wait I'm afraid._

**xXCanaryXx** - "Wider Hips! I got no Idea.

Lolz, i'm gonna remember this stuff now, weight gain, wide hips, what is happening!

Well, this chapter was awesome as usual. I was waiting a bit to read this. Though my Teen Titans obsession has calmed a bit (Megamind obsession has gone crazy tho)I still am awaiting more chapters.

Im gonna keep this short so you can go back to writing!

Keep Writing! :)"

_Thanks! I got you guys wondering just what is actually going on. I'm doing my job right._

**Bigguido** - "right on Beast boy going to learn some magic can't wait to read on."

_Well, as you can see he's not a wizard per se, more like he can tap into Raven's powers to augement his own._

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "Hmm, the Trigon storyline makes me wanna think of the King Of Fighters the Orochi Saga.

And besides, Raven toppled Trigon's place as the most powerful demon ever well half demoness for that matter so, Andreas will be just a lil twig to her lol if she use fullpower in White Robe aka Purified form or Rage mode.

LOL The titans got 2 berserkers on their ranks esp with the Chromatically challenged couple xD"

_Andreas must be a pretty cocky guy, since he knows who Raven is. Might he have an ace up his sleeve?_

**Anon** - "Woot! Excellent chapter! Just the right amount of humor and seriousness in it. Love the sibling type play between Robin and Raven. I personally can't stand Robin but you write him so he's not as arrogant/belligerent as he is usually portrayed. Funny how the Perrys got all co-operative when they were assured nothing would be leaked. Just like rich snobs to be that way. I like you threw in the mention of only God being able to raise the dead. It read weird coming from Raven's mouth with her being half demon and all. Can't wait for your next update! And I REALLY can't wait to finally find out what's up with Rae's physical changes if she's NOT pregnant. Is it some kind of "body preparing for pregnancy" thing or what?"

_LOL, I really have you guys wondering what's happening with Raven._

**GreenRock** - "I love a good read on a Friday morning; it beats breakfast hands-down."

_Plus its calorie free!_

**Mortal Guardian** - "At first I wondered, who could Raven choose as the ministra magi? Which of other titans, perhaps, might she ally with? Then as I read on, that the pendant had an emerald and good ol' Ranesh said "He will make a fantastic ministra magi," I wondered, might 'he' be Beast Boy? How might he have magic, or has his union with Raven anything to do with being the said ministra magi?"

_I hope our favorite gray sorceress explained the arrangement in a satisfactory way._

**Chocomel68** - "this is seriously good! I love the fact that u not only concentrade on BBRae,u still bring out the other Titans in their very own special way. fantastic plot u have filled with suspense and laughter. love every bit of this story. what's Raven up to? I can hardly wait 4 your next update!"

_There will be some RobStar action. Stay tuned._

**wolfenstien** - "great chapter dude, I loved the interaction between Robin and Raven... :D"

_I think that Robin's and Raven's sibling like relationship is often overlooked in stories. Either there is no interaction between them or they are portrayed in a romantic relationship._

**Shyguy1** - "LOOK AT YOU, YAR ON FIRE. How many chpaters is that in one week? I love where this story is going. Seems I was wrong about Raven bein' pregnant. Oh well, at least that makes me curious as to what is going on... Also, something doesn't seem right in all this. I can't place my finger on it but there seems to be something that I feel like I'm missing. I guess I'll just have to find out next time on "The adventures of a married Raven and a screwed BeastBoy" Keep Writing Space Cowboy"

_You are correct. Something isn't right._

**almostinsane** - "Great chapter! I loved how surprised Roger was to find out about his son's love life. Poor Scott might be confined to the state until he's an adult...

Anyway, this is getting interesting what is that ministra magi pendant going to do? (Have to admit that I haven't heard of the name before) Thanks for writing this. God bless! "

_I borrowed the concept of Ministra Magi from the long running manga "Negima!"_

titanfan45 - "I enjoyed the interaction between Raven and Robin. This chapter confirmed that her weight gain was noteworthy as I suspected."

_Yep, its significant, but no in the way most readers suspect. _

**The Cretan** - "I figured as much. If you ever take a notion to read the comics I thought that the Wolfman and Johns runs were the best. In the meantime enjoy the manga. They don't get manga here. Anyways, the great thing about your stories is you keep the team dynamic. They are professionals but also friends. Few other authors keep that dynamic. Awesome chapter dude. Keep up the good work."

_Thanks!_

**crazynerd** - "Now I don't know if Rae is pregnant or not. Oh well. Great chapter update soon."

_I like to keep you guys on your toes._

**still too old for this** - "No, no, no, you've got it backwards. JEEVES is the butler and WOOSTER is the master. Only kidding, don't know how many Wodehouse fans there are here, but I got a kick out of Wooster the butler."

_I always liked the name Wooster better than Jeeves. _

**FelynxTiger **- "the mysteries keep coming ,and this time u express Raven's relationship with Robin :D nice done there, as the story continues i think i got more glued to it , im thinking of doing a picture of it :) so would u let me ?"

**I would love a picture!**

**crazynerd** - "Nice description. I wasn't expecting the suicide but I like to be surprised. I wonder what are raven and bb gonna do."

_Good question! And I have to thank you! Yours was the twentieth review for chapter 8._


	11. She's back

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Raven unfurled the scroll Ranesh had given her and laid it down on the table. It was made of papyrus and was yellowed and looked ancient. The other 3 Titans gathered around her, unable to curb their curiosity. Andres' stern and intense face was centered in the middle and was displayed with photographic quality.

"So that's what he looks like." Cyborg commented. "He looks evil."

Robin picked it up and studied the parchment carefully.

"This doesn't say much, how did you find out that he's from Salzburg?" Robin asked.

Raven crossed her arms and prepared herself, knowing that Robin wasn't going to like what he was about to hear. Knowing well that Robin's unhealthy obsession with Slade would change the mood in the room she sighed before continuing.

"Ranesh told me that he has seen Andreas and Evangeline hanging out with Slade, so I went to look for him …"

"And you found him." Robin concluded. "That was very reckless of you Raven. I thought we had a rule that no one would ever confront Slade without the team?"

"I know, I broke the rule, but it worked. I found Slade, or should I say one of his decoy Sladebots. He told me all about Andreas."

Robin frowned.

"And you believe everything he told you? You should know better than that Raven, Slade can't be trusted!"

"Of course I don't trust him!" She hissed in reply. "Give me some credit Robin. Anyway, as Gar already mentioned the first phase of our mission will focus on fact finding. Incidentally, Slade actually agreed with me that Evangeline didn't have the skill to cast the spell on the Maskil figurine, and that it was probably Andreas."

Robin nodded as he took in what she was telling him.

"So how long will you be gone?"

Raven dropped her arms to her sides, finally feeling able to relax.

"We don't know. I'm guessing a month, maybe two."

"And you are sure we cannot assist you my friends?" Starfire asked. "We might not have the magical powers but that does not mean we are not effective. Was is not Robin who defeated Daizo in Tokyo?"

"We all defeated him Star, because we're at team." Robin corrected his sweetheart. "And that's why we should all go with you guys."

Beast Boy shook his head.

"We need to do this without Andreas noticing. If 5 Teen Titans show up in Europe he'll know we're looking for him. Rae and I need to do this undercover. If it makes sense we might call you guys for backup when it's time to capture him."

"But don't count on it." Raven interjected.

"Cyborg, how long will it take you to make some holorings for us?" She asked the cybernetic Titan.

The tin man scratched his chin.

"Just a few days, I have some new tech that will let you pick what you want to look like each time."

"That would be very helpful Cyborg, it will help …"

Raven was interrupted by the Tower alarms. As always Robin ran to the console and tapped away at the keyboard.

"It's Cinderblock again, and this time he brought help. They're attacking … Kit Carson Mall?"

When the Titans arrived at the scene they were greeted by a general state of mayhem and destruction. The shopping center was new; it had just opened a few months before and was packed with shoppers who were all trying to flee from the danger inside. It was also the same shopping center where Evangeline's decoy has led them. The parking lot exits were jam packed with vehicles and were gridlocked as no cars were moving. In their panic people were abandoning their cars and fleeing on foot as they chose to not wait in their vehicles. Many ran across the boulevard that separated the mall from its namesake state park and the entrance to the canyon lands could be seen in the not so far distance.

Meanwhile smoke billowed out of the mall's roof while more terrified shoppers poured out of the mall's exits in a veritable stampede, trampling over each other as some lost their footing and fell down. The 5 heroes felt like salmon swimming upstream as they tried to wade through the throngs that resembled a torrent as they burst out of the exits. They were making no progress and Cyborg finally lost his patience. He stepped away from the shopping center's main entrance and punched a hole in a wall, making a new entrance.

"Titans, this way!" He shouted.

The 4 Titans followed the tin man through his "do it yourself entrance" which led into a now deserted sporting goods store. The 5 heroes dashed through the empty shop and were soon inside the mall. It was a very large shopping center and they searched for the villains responsible for the disaster, which didn't take long as they soon found themselves face to face with Overload.

The electric supervillain didn't take long to attack the Titans, and met them head first, firing an electrical blast in their direction. Starfire was already leading the counterattack and took the full brunt of the electrical discharge. She was airborne and after screaming in pain she lost consciousness and fell. Robin scrambled and caught her, tumbling to the floor with her as the momentum of her fall knocked him over.

Overload fired a second blast at the remaining three Titans. Raven raised one of her dark shields to block it, but the potency of the discharge overwhelmed her shielding and she was zapped. Like the Tamaranian she was knocked out and Beast Boy caught as she fell. Cyborg aimed his sonic canon and fired, but Overload dodged the sonic blast and began to fire his electrical discharges at the titanium clad teen, who was barely able to dodge them.

"It's like he's on steroids!" Cyborg shouted. "He's never been so fast or strong."

Beast Boy was tending to a still unconscious Raven when he saw that Overload was aiming at Robin and the still unconscious Starfire. They were sitting ducks and he knew that because he had no powers Robin might be killed by one of the villain's Zeus like thunderbolts. He immediately knew what he had to do.

"Adeat!" He shouted after resting Raven on the floor.

The changeling immediately bolted towards the villain with a speed almost worthy of the Flash. Overload saw him coming and began firing his bolts at him, which the now hypersonic changeling easily dodged. As he approached the villain he leaped in to the air and morphed into the biggest electric eel that Cyborg or Robin had ever seen. Cyborg's bionic eye recorded the event and he later estimated that the changeling was over 15 meters (45 feet) long.

The giant eel came crashing down on Overload and the two began to struggle. The green eel appeared to absorb everything the villain could dish out and began to wrap himself around Overload, smothering him as he absorbed his power. Cyborg glanced nervously at his chronometer, recalling what Raven had said about the two minute limit. To his relief he saw that Beast Boy still had over a minute to spare and was making quick progress in subduing the high voltage villain. Robin ran and grabbed a nearby fire hose out of its niche in the wall, as some added insurance.

The fire hose proved to be unnecessary as within seconds the giant eel had absorbed all of Overload's power. He morphed back into his human form, with Overload's red circuit board clutched in his hand.

Robin ran up to him and took the red circuit from the changeling, storing it in an electrically isolated plastic bag. The changeling remembered to mutter 'Abeat' and rescinded his borrowed powers as he ran back to Raven who was beginning to recover from the electric shock as was Starfire.

"We're not done yet Titans. Cinderblock is still around. We have to find him!" Robin shouted.

"The girls are hurt!" The changeling shouted.

Raven lifted herself up.

"I'm fine, let's just do this." She moaned while Starfire reassured Robin that she was indeed in shape to fight as well.

The 5 Titans looked around for any sign of Cinderblock. They were in the central courtyard in the mall, which was now deserted. All the stores had been left open in the pandemonium of the evacuation and a double decked merry go round was still spinning as no one had bothered to shut it down. Other than the calliope like tune the carrousel played and the gurgling of a distant fountain there was no other sound to be heard as all the shoppers and personnel had left the building.

"Raven, can you sense anything?" Robin asked her.

"He's still here alright; those troglodyte emotions of his stand out like a sore thumb."

As Raven was finishing her pronouncement the concrete leviathan came crashing through the front of a nearby department store, tearing through its concrete brick wall as if it were made of tissue paper. It was howling in a deranged voice as it charged at the Titans.

"Titans! Move!" Robin shouted as his team moved out of Cinderblock's path.

"Adeat!" the changeling shouted, and the look on his face betrayed that nothing happened. He gave his mate a puzzled look.

"It's too soon Gar, I need to recharge."

"Then we'll do it the old school way!" He replied as he morphed into a Tyrannosaurus Rex, charging at the villain.

Cinderblock did not back down as the only vegetarian carnosaur to ever exist approached him. In a swift and acrobatic motion Beast Boy swung around and hit the behemoth with his tail, catching him off guard and knocking him down. The rest of team took this as their cue to join in the attack and began to pummel the villain with their powers and weapons: Starbolts, exploding disks and sonic blasts pummeled the giant while Raven tried to bind him with her dark energy.

Cinderblock did not give in and with a roar he broke free and began to flee, charging through another wall.

"It's like last time! We can't wear him down!" Cyborg groaned.

"We have to! Titans, follow him!" Robin shouted.

The five heroes gave chase to the walking wrecking ball, who barreled across the busy boulevard, causing a multicar pile up as he raced into the state park, further terrifying the evacuees who had sought shelter in the vast park.

Cinderblock made up for his lack of brains with his speed, heading for the nearby desert canyons where the Titans first met Terra all those years before. Starfire, Raven and Beast Boy were flying and were able to stay hot on his tail. Robin and Cyborg were also catching up in the T-Car, tearing through the vegetation as Cinderblock had chosen to stray from the park trails. Soon he reached the entrance to the canyons and ran into the labyrinth, vanishing in it.

The Titans regrouped at the entrance. Cyborg was moaning over all the scratches his "baby's" paint job had received, muttering repeatedly to himself "I think they'll buff out".

Robin stared into the vast array of ravines and chasms that formed the canyon land's network.

"He won't be hard to track, and he won't be able to escape." He said with his arms crossed over his chest. "We have to capture him!"

"Easier said than done." Raven remarked dryly. "Something doesn't seem right about this."

"That's right." Robin replied. "We need to extra careful team. I don't want anyone to end up in the infirmary again."

"Yo B! How long until you can supercharge yourself again?"

Raven answered Cyborg's question. "At least three more hours."

"We'll just all have to be careful." Robin admonished his team. "But that doesn't mean that Cinderblock is getting away."

An hour had passed as the Titans continued to track the concrete leviathan, which wasn't difficult as the canyon floor was muddy after a rainstorm the night before and the gargantuan villain's footprints were easy to follow. Robin had a map of the canyon and its tributaries on his communicator and as they made their way around a corner, he smiled.

"He's gone into a dead end. We've got him." He announced.

No sooner had Robin pronounced their expected victory than did their prey surprise them. He came charging out of a small ravine, running into the main spur of the canyon. Starfire reacted first, bombarding their opponent with her starbolts. Cyborg joined in with both of the sonic cannons while Robin fired of wave after wave of his bat clan weapons. Raven picked up boulders with her dark energy and threw them at the leviathan.

The villain was still winded from his flight as the initial barrage from the Titans had an effect on him and he stumbled back as he was clearly stunned and disoriented. The Changeling saw his opportunity and morphed into a green wooly mammoth and charged at Cinderblock, who didn't see him coming. Beast Boy slammed into him and sent the villain flying until they both crashed into a tall canyon wall.

Cinderblock was knocked out cold and fell forward, landing on top of the mammoth pinning him to the ground. The changeling struggled to free himself but was stuck. He morphed back into his human form but remained trapped.

"Uh guys, a little help here?" He called out as the Titans snickered.

As his 4 teammates approached him a few small rocks fell from the canyon wall. Then a cracking sound was heard and it got louder and louder. It was coming from the canyon wall, which was hundreds of feet tall. To their collective horror the entire wall's structural integrity had been shattered by Cinderblock's impact and was in the process of caving in on them. Countless tons of sandstone were beginning to fall and were threatening to bury the changeling and the villain in a rocky tomb.

Raven raised her shields over the two and was able to withhold the avalanche but as the rocks and boulders continued to rain down she was beginning to feel fatigued, in part because she had not yet fully recovered from Beast Boy's earlier ministra magi invocation. The strain on her was taking its toll and the veins on her forehead throbbed from the stress as the rocks and boulders began to pile up on her shield.

Robin and Starfire ran to the changeling in a bold attempt to free him from where he was trapped. As Starfire lifted the villain and Robin helped Beast Boy free himself Raven felt that she could no longer hold on as the pile of rubble hovering over her teammates had grown huge. In a final attempt to hold on she gave a primal scream.

Her yell stopped suddenly as she stared in amazement. The mountain of rubble had begun to float above her shield.

"Robin, Starfire, you're good to go, get them out of there." A familiar female voice called from above.

Raven looked up and saw a boulder with a human form standing on it come flying down from the top of the canyon. It had the sun behind it and all she could see was a silhouette, but she already knew who it was, as it could be no one else.

Raven turned back to her teammates and saw that they, along with the still unconscious Cinderblock, were now at a safe distance from the rubble, which suddenly came crashing down onto the ground, raising a large dust cloud in its wake. She ran to Beast Boy and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight.

"You idiot." She whispered into his ear. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Meanwhile Robin was inspecting Cinderblock's still unconscious form. It was then that he noticed a small piece of paper stuck to the back of the villain's head and pulled it off. It was covered in kanji script.

"Raven, you need to see this." He called to her.

The sorceress released Beast Boy from her embrace and approached the Boy Wonder who handed the paper to her.

"It's a Japanese talisman. I'm guessing that it was used to enhance Cinderblock's strength and to control him."

Starfire, being the only team member fluent in Japanese, examined the talisman and confirmed Raven's conjecture. Robin them examined Overload's circuit board and found that it also had a paper talisman attached to it.

"Andreas is probably behind this, Slade said he was well versed in Japanese magic." Raven commented.

The Titans heard sound of footsteps behind them and turned around to see to whom they belonged.

"Hey guys, long time no see."

Raven and the Geomancer made eye contact and the sorceress ran towards Terra, her face expressionless as always.

"Uh, hi Raven?" She called out in an unsure tone and even took a couple of steps back as the sorceress closed in.

Raven wrapped her arms around the Geomancer and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Thank you." She whispered into Terra's ear. "Thank you for saving my Gar."

"Who's Gar?" The geomancer asked.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Ok, let me double check the order: three super meats, one Hawaiian, two Cowboys, one garlic chicken, two Tony specials and a Beast Boy special?" The waiter asked.

"You got it dude!" The changeling confirmed the pizza order.

"That'll take about 15 minutes; I'll be right back with your drinks."

The Titans were back at their old outpost, their home away from home, the place where they held court: the wedge shaped pizzeria that had become synonymous with Jump City's team of heroes.

Terra began to laugh, or more correctly put, she resumed laughing.

"Your real name is Garfield? Oh that is so rich, who names their kid Garfield? So can I call you Gar?" The Geomancer snickered.

"No!" Raven snapped at her. "Only I can call him Gar."

Robin decided to step in an diffuse a potentially uncomfortable scenario.

"I can't believe that you haven't heard about Raven and Beast Boy's wedding, it was on TV and in all the papers." He asked the Geomancer.

"Well, you see after I graduated from high school, which I did early because I couldn't stand it any more, I went back to live in the canyon lands. I only come out once in a while to buy supplies, so I probably missed the week you guys got hitched."

Terra stared at Raven and Beast Boy, who were sitting next to each other. Raven scooted her chair closer to her mate until their hips were touching, clearly staking her claim in plain sight of the blond. This did not go unnoticed by Terra, who locked eyes with Raven. Suddenly she felt a presence in her mind, one that was pushing its way in. At first she resisted, mostly out of surprise, but then it dawned on her who it was and she relented.

_Is that you Raven? _She formed the thought in her mind.

_**Yes Terra, it is.**_

_Uh, so what's up?_

**Gar is.**

_Look, I know what you're thinking. I'm not gonna try to steal him from you._

**Good, because you couldn't even if you tried. But if you do try, I'll break every bone in your body. He's mine, got it?**

_Whoa! What happened to grateful Raven?_

**I'm still grateful that you saved him Terra; I know I owe you a really big one. I just wanted to make it clear that he's off limits.**

_Gee, give me some credit Raven. I know you guys are married. I mean if he was only your boyfriend I'd consider him fair game, but even I know not to mess with a married couple_

The telepathic exchange was interrupted by the Boy Wonder.

"So Terra, how about you tell us what's happened with you since the Slade incident? When Beast Boy told us two years ago that he saw you on the street, well, we didn't believe him. At the end, even Beast Boy doubted that the girl at Murakami School was you."

Terra shifted in her chair, her discomfort was self evident.

"One day I woke up in the cave. I had no idea of how much time had passed. At the time I didn't know it, but it was Raven who revived me when she defeated Trigon. I was turned back into flesh and blood along with everyone else."

"So you have no memories while you were stone?" Cyborg asked.

"None. I was completely disoriented when I woke up and came out of the cave. Everyone was celebrating and I had no idea of what was happening. I checked into a homeless shelter for a while and then something unexpected happened. A distant relative passed away and I inherited some money, a few hundred thousand dollars. So I rented an apartment and tried to figure out what I was going to do with my life. I didn't want to have anything with my powers or my past, so I figured I would start all over. I realized that if I was going to live a normal life I would need an education so I enrolled at Murakami School."

"Go on." Robin encouraged her.

"Well, things were normal at first, until Beast Boy saw me." She said as she looked the changeling in the eyes.

"I'm so sorry that I lied to you BB. I just needed a clean break, a chance to start over and I couldn't do that if you were my boyfriend. And believe me; I wanted you to be my boyfriend, why do you think I went to have pizza with you? But I knew it would never work. I was still the traitor; I had betrayed you and the whole team. I knew you would have taken me back, that you had already forgiven me, but the truth is I still haven't forgiven myself and I think I never will."

The blond sighed before continuing.

"I never would have guessed in a million years that you and Raven would have ended up together, but now that I see you as a couple I know you made the right choice BB. She's everything I'm not, she's true and reliable. You deserved better than me BB and I'm glad to see that you found it."

Terra stopped her speech and began to sob quietly. Starfire placed a consoling hand on her shoulder.

"You will come and live with us again friend."

Terra reacted brusquely to the invitation.

"No! That would be a bad idea Starfire. You see, I still love BB, I still consider him the best friend I ever had. So I can't come back, it would be a mistake, nothing but heartache would come of it."

"But I cannot allow my friend to be homeless, living under the stars."

Terra chuckled.

"Have you forgotten Starfire, I inherited some money. I've burrowed a really cool place for myself in a canyon wall, not far from where we met. I heard Cinderblock when he came charging down my canyon and I was about to kick him out when you guys showed up."

"Is it comfy?" Beast Boy asked.

"Absolutely! You won't believe how awesome it is. In fact I want you guys to come over for dinner one day. You'll be impressed with the Terra Cave. It's way cool."

"I think we could come by one day." Robin replied as he glanced at Raven, who subtly nodded her approval. "And I have something for you."

Robin handed her a second generation Titans communicator.

"This is the type of communicator we now give to honorary Titans. If you want it, it's yours. Raven and Beast Boy are taking a leave of absence and we might need your help while they're gone."

Terra stared stunned at her friends.

"You'd do that for me?" She stammered. "You're gonna take me back?"

"As an honorary Titan." Raven reminded her.

Terra clutched the communicator tightly with both of her hands, tears dripping down her cheeks.

"Thanks guys, this means so much to me. I promise I won't let you down."

Well, either you guys were busy this past weekend, or the previous chapter wasn't that good as both the hit and review counts were down. They were still respectable and for that I thank you.

Now I know what you're thinking.

"Why the 'h', 'e', double hockey sticks did he bring Terra into this? Doesn't Raven have enough on her plate already?"

She does, but throwing Terra into the mix makes things "interesting". That and I really like her.

Anyway, the hunt for Andreas begins next chapter, so stay tuned!

And now it's mailbag time!

And before I forget: Happy Thanksgiving!

**Bigguido** - "Well I was close I thought BB would be able to say crazy Latin words and what not be damn 30 beast in front of you would still scare me to death really looking forward to see it all in action."

_Ah! You recognized that "Adeat" and "Abeat" are Latin words. Any idea where I borrowed them from? (no, it's not Harry Potter)._

**Anon** - "Okay short review this time! Glad you bumped the chapter cuz I almost missed it. Best part, IMO, was Raven going to find Slade. The question-n-answer session between the two of them was interesting. Love the tidbits of Slade's past you brought up. There's more of a mutual respect between them then just flat-out hostility. We haven't seen the last of Slade have we?"

_I almost didn't bump the chapter. I had some fun writing Raven and Slade's tête-à-tête. Slade asked some questions I'm sure a few readers (especially those who aren't major BBRae shippers) have probably wondered themselves._

**MissAzuka** - "Another great chapter, keep it up ^.^"

_Thanks, after the Evangeline chapter it's been challenging to keep them that interesting, but I will do my best!_

**almostinsane** - "Great chapter! You know, I'm going out of a limb and going to say that the Austrian is invovled with some Nazi occult stuff. Just a hunch and the fact that I just remembered that history channel thing on Nazi occult societies during World War II (strange of them, huh?). Thanks for writing this. God bless!"

_That would pretty cool. The Titans vs. the Nazis._

**AkumaKami64** - "Well, things are certainly getting interesting. I think Slade forgot about BB destroying one of his Robot Doubles at the carnival. Though, I love BB using magic, but it sucks that he can't do it on his own. I wonder what else you're going to pull out of your hat?"

_My hat? Some might accuse me of pulling these things out of someplace else _:-)

**GreenRock** - "As previous questions become answered, more questions arise. Mainly about Andreas' motivation, why Slade seems intent on helping the Titans in their mission to break the curse, if Rob, Star and Cy are going to helping or not, whether Rae and BB are going to have a confrontation with Trigon, whether BB has impregnated Rae . . . so many questions it's hurting my itty-bitty brain."

_I have been accused of messing with people minds before, and I intend to mess with your collective minds some more before this story is done._

**AllYourWafflesBelongToMe** - "Wow :O . That's all I can say. This story's really good! I love the plot so much! :D Keep the awesomeness coming! \m/"

_I will do my best! Thanks!_

**Shyguy1** - "Alright, I've got ideas forming about what is off in all of this. I won't share anything though. The last time I shared what I was thinking, I basically got your entire reader base barking over if Raven was pregnant or not. Anywho, your story is goin' great and you've got me on the edge of my seat... and by the looks of things, you're going to keep me there. Keep Writing Space Cowboy "

_Maybe if I'm really gutsy someday I'll write a Cowboy Bebop fanfic with Sir Alwick._

**The Cretan** - "I love the part with Slade. I can empathize with the man. I like that BB's gettin a power boost. I do have to wonder how powerful could he really become if he were real. We got a small glimpse with the Beast but in the comics he has changed into a dragon, a chimera, a phoenix, a host of barnicles (don't ask) and other instances of multiple organisms. He went mono e mono with Madame Rouge and killed her. Can we see him go up some levels, please? Anyways awesome as always. Happy turkey day."

_I think that there will be some good action once they get to Europe._

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "Well this is gonna be interesting, with the pendant on Gar, he's basically unleashing his raw potential that he's been holding back lately and the pendant just gave him the additional boost. It's gonna be something when Gar's tapping in to Mythical Creatures and Other alien beasts against Andreas.

Plus also the multiplying Beasts Gar really tapped into the powers of The Beast and the humble amoeba and multiplied himself, heck with that kind of army he can basically demolish an army with that sort of raw primal firepower, 1 Beast was bad but 16? It's overkill. It's like he could level the BOE in a snap lol.

So basically Gar will be Rae's Ace in her sleeve, aka the Physical approach if it's going down to physical action over Magical duels, Gar would be the one to dish out the pain on Andreas."

_BB has become very powerful, but we must not forget he can only use it for 2 minutes._

**FelynxTiger** - "now curiosity is killing me , but god this was so funny XD well some parts , excellent way to develop beast boy's new powers ! ,the story never cease to amaze me ohhh can't way to check our new adversary!"

_Andreas will have some surprises in store for us._

**xXCanaryXx** - "Omg! Loved it! Omg! Holy freaking pie im soo excited! I love the idea that bb can "mooch" off of rae's powers!

I'd leave a longer review but its pate and im soo tired. So..

Keep those chapters comin'! :)"

_I will do my best to be prompt. I promise to always an update at least once per week, and hopefully twice._

**The One They Call Shamis** - "Amazing as always! Can't wait to see Raven and BB destroy the Austrian. Although, the "Holy Billy Numerous!" would have been a lot more funny if he added "Batman" at the end... Just saying :D. UPDATE SOON!"

_Darn, I should have thought of that!_

**Author Penholder** - "great chapter. I love the things beast boy was able to do with the pendant! can't wait to see if any other abilities will be shown in the future. OFF TOPIC QUESTION: why doesn't beast boy ever use alien forms? And I don't mean just in your story I mean anyones story. he could have gotten a book on alien animals from starfire at some point in the teams time together. I would look into Kryptonian animals if I were him. hehe. let me know what you think."

_Well, he did use an alien form once, on Tamaran. Sounds like a good idea to me. Imagine BB morphing into the monster from the "Alien" movies!_


	12. The Snoop

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

OK, it's the day after Thanksgiving, so pull up a chair, a turkey sandwich and your favorite carbonated beverage, as the next chapter is ready! So enjoy your Black Friday special!

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Azarath. Metrion, Zinthos, Azarath. Metrion, Zinthos…"

Raven was in the perfect lotus position, her legs tucked beneath her, her hands forming the ideal mudra and her face was blank and expressionless. Her eyes remained closed as she continued to repeat her mantra.

She was on the Tower's rooftop while a brisk and chilly autumn wind made her cape to billow as if it had a life of its own. She was the perfect image of tranquility and equanimity as she levitated while she continued to repeat her mantra over and over.

Unfortunately her mind did not reflect her exterior. While her face looked as calm as the surface of a meditation pond, on the inside she was a torrent of emotions as she couldn't get a certain blond face out of her mind.

She had sensed no deceit on Terra's behalf, but she knew that the Geomancer had pulled the wool over her empathic senses before. Words she had once uttered to Robin during a moment of grave concern kept coming back and that scene played itself over and over in her mind: Terra bumping into her followed by the sudden, strange and disjointed visions which only made sense later. And the question she had asked Robin, words she wished she had followed up on at the time, prophetic words:

_Are you sure it's safe to have her here?_

Raven suddenly found herself in a different reality. She knew it was another vision as the surroundings were blurry and not meant to be focused on. The surroundings were not important anyway, for the main focus of the event had her full attention.

First she saw Beast Boy and Terra walking down a beach, attired in swimsuits, Terra's swimsuit left little to the imagination as it highlighted her now more mature figure. Beast Boy's hair was longer, almost shoulder length, and while he was holding the Geomancer's hand he seemed lost in thought. Terra stopped and turned around. What Raven saw next made her gasp. Terra gave him a passionate kiss, and he reciprocated.

The vision faded and was replaced with another one. This one was harder to watch, as Beast Boy and Terra were making passionate love in the changeling's old room, which looked remodeled, as if it were Terra and Beast Boy's room. Raven immediately noticed that he looked different, he seemed bulkier, more muscular. She then noticed a bald spot forming on his scalp.

Once again, the image faded away, replaced with one of her rival pushing a stroller. She stopped and reached into the pram. She gingerly lifted what appeared to be an infant that was swaddled in receiving blankets, a newborn. She sat down on a nearby park bench and began to nurse the still unseen child. Raven stared at the scene when Beast Boy arrived and joined Terra on the bench. He smiled before they shared a kiss after which she handed the infant to him and Raven saw that the child had a green complexion.

Raven landed on the Tower roof with a thud as both the vision and her concentration were broken. Opening her eyes she saw that the sun had already set and the city's lights dominated her view. As she gathered her bearings she heard the Tower's access door open and close, followed by footsteps that were approaching her. She didn't need to turn around to see who it was.

"So here you are. I've been looking everywhere for you." He called out to her. "Are you OK Rae? You never come up here to meditate anymore."

"I know." She replied morosely. "I just had a few things on my mind and wanted to be alone."

The changeling crossed his arms and gave her a stern look.

"You're fretting over Terra." He said with an exasperated sigh. "Raven, you know I'm yours. There's nothing to worry about."

"Sorry." She mumbled as she wrapped her arms around him. She knew he was sincere and could sense it. She trusted all of her teammates, even with her own life, but she trusted him with something even more precious: her heart. And he had never let her down, not once. Still, she couldn't keep her worries in check.

As the two lovers stood together in their embrace, she pondered over what she had seen in the vision. Could it be that what she saw was the real outcome of the curse? Maybe Beast Boy wasn't going to die after all; maybe the curse was that Terra was going to steal him from her? She felt overwhelmed with the uncertainty that tormented her. She was going to get answers from Andreas, and he wasn't going to give her the slip as Evangeline had.

"Earth to Rae." The changeling teased her. 'You're spacing out again."

Raven snapped out of her trance.

"Sorry … it was just a shock to see her again, that's all."

He squeezed his wife tighter before releasing her.

"Let's go out and have dinner, just us."

"Restaurant food is fattening." She replied.

"You're fretting over your weight still? You've only gained a few pounds and if you ask me they went to the right places…"

"You mean my hips and boobs?"

"Duh! Stopped fretting Rae, we're young adults now and you have a young woman's figure, you're not a girl anymore."

"Maybe I miss being a teen."

"No way, you're way hotter now!" He grinned at her. Raven felt her legs get a little rubbery, but she stood firm.

"Hotter than Terra?" She asked.

"Do you even need to ask?"

Raven rewarded him with a smile.

"So where are you taking me dinner?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"A grilled chicken salad with the light raspberry vinaigrette for the lady and the extra spicy Thai burrito, prepared with Tofu for the gentleman." The waiter announced as he placed the food before the now hungry couple. "I'll be right back with some refills for your drinks." He announced before disappearing back into the kitchen.

The restaurant was a new one, located on the bay and was wedged between the Chart House and the Crab Shack. It served an eclectic menu, which worked for the Logans as Raven had not yet made the commitment to join her husband in his meatless lifestyle.

They chose to sit indoors, as did all the other patrons due to unseasonably cool weather. The ambiance in the restaurant was lively, but not over the top, which Raven found to be acceptable. The sorceress took a bite of her salad and after putting her fork down she reached across the table and took Beast Boy's hand in her own.

They had changed into civilian outfits, not that it provided them any sort of disguise. They were still the only Chromatically Challenged Couple™ in the dining room after. Nevertheless the other patrons gave them their space and Raven only occasionally noticed furtive glances tossed in their direction.

"Gar, we need to talk…"

Beast Boy's expression froze upon hearing those seemingly innocent words. Individually they posed no threat, but when strung together in that unique order they could strike fear in the heart of just about any man, at least any man that cared for and respected his mate. Four seemingly harmless words: we need to talk.

Raven realized her faux pas as soon as it left her mouth and the expression on the face of her better half confirmed it.

"Let me rephrase that … we need to discuss when we'll use your ministerial powers."

The green Titan heaved a sigh of relief.

"Gosh Rae, don't scare me like that."

"You know, I've never understood why men fear those four words so much."

He gave her an annoyed look.

"Uh, cuz they mean we're in trouble?"

Raven gave him a perplexed look.

"I can't think of a female equivalent for them."

"That's because they don't exist."

Raven began to roll her eyes, but caught herself and stopped.

"Maybe … but we do need to come to agreement on when you can use your ministerial powers."

"I know Rae, I know they suck you dry."

"Which is why we need some rules. You seemed very eager to use them today. I understand why you invoked them when fighting with Overload, but why with Cinderblock? No one was in danger."

The changeling sighed.

"I wanted to pay him back for what he did to you. I know it was childish and unprofessional, but you have no idea of how hard it was to watch you lie there, unconscious for three days."

"I understand Gar, and this is why we need some rules. So what should the first rule be?"

He paused before answering.

"We only use it in case of an emergency."

"I agree. Had we saved that for the end you could have used it to get away from the avalanche."

Raven took another bite from her salad.

"I think that rule is good enough. And an emergency means just that, an emergency. The word 'adeat' should rarely be heard. Let's not forget about the curse Gar. This could be our ace in the whole to at least fight it off, but we can't do that if you're constantly invoking the pactio."

Beast Boy was chowing down his Thai burrito and nodded his agreement.

"And while we're talking about the curse, need I remind you that you still need to be careful? Charging into Cinderblock like that was pretty daring. You must have hit him hard to bring that canyon wall down on you."

Beast Boy shook his head as he replied.

"I don't get it Rae. I mean sure, I hit him hard, but I don't see how I could have caused that avalanche, at least not with a solid wall. I don't have that kind of power over rocks and …"

Beast Boy stopped mid sentence as it was now Raven's turn to do her 'deer in the headlights' impression.

"Oh dear Azar! I'm such a fool! How did I miss that?"

"Huh?"

"Terra! It was Terra Gar! She caused the landslide."

"What?"

"Doesn't it strike you as serendipitous that she happened to be there to save you?"

"You mean lucky? I guess … but we've been lucky before. Why doubt it now?"

Raven frowned at him.

"Because she's involved."

He pondered her words before replying.

"Wouldn't she have accepted Star's invitation to move back into the Tower?"

"No, she wouldn't, because she knows I would have vetoed it. So she used it her to her advantage, to give her credibility."

He was about to tell Raven she was being paranoid. He was still the team clown, but that didn't mean he was a fool, so instead he wisely chose to change the subject.

"Why do you think Rob and Starfire are coming with us tomorrow?"

Robin had made arrangements with Alfred Pennyworth to have one of the Wayne Enterprises corporate jets fly to Jump City to collect them. There would be a layover in Gotham, where they would spend the night as guests at Wayne Manor. Robin and Starfire were going to join them on their trip to Gotham. The following day another Wayne Jet would ferry the disguised Logans to Zurich, Switzerland from where they would initiate their mission.

"I don't know, maybe Robin wants to introduce his girl to his mentor. Of course you had no objections, did you Gar?"

"Double duh! We're gonna get to see the Batcave Rae. What's cooler than that?"

Raven snickered.

"My husband the fan boy."

"And proud of it!" He grinned.

"He's just an overgrown version of Robin. I don't see what all the fuss is about."

The changeling continued grinning and then proceeded to finish his meal and Raven did the same. Meanwhile, a petite Asian woman who was sitting alone at the opposite end of the restaurant began to key in a text message on her mobile phone.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The sleek Gulfstream jet taxied up to the private hanger. It was midday and sun was shining brightly on the white executive jet with the prominent "W" on its tail. As it pulled into the airplane garage four figures emerged from the enclosed waiting area, while a baggage handler, wearing a blue jumpsuit with the ubiquitous Wayne logo embroidered on its back, ferried some luggage in an oversize hand truck towards the jet which had already powered down

The jet's hatch popped open, swinging downward as it had stairs built into it. A flight attendant emerged from the jet while a couple of mechanics approached the aircraft and began to examine and refuel it.

The stewardess was a dark haired woman in her 30's and she greeted Dick Grayson with a Colgate smile.

"Hello Mr. Grayson, it's been a long time since you last flew with us, and we are glad to have you back."

Robin gave the woman an inquiring look.

"Ashmore, isn't it? Lisa Ashmore?" He asked.

The stewardess smiled.

"That's right Mr. Grayson. I'm flattered that you remember. I see that we have some passengers today?"

Robin turned to his 3 teammates.

"This is Miss Kori Anders." He said as he introduced a tall dark haired girl, before turning to a blond couple. "And Garfield and Rachel Roth."

"Hello." Raven greeted the attendant.

Lisa Ashmore finished greeting her passengers and led them onboard the aircraft. Soon they were airborne, speeding across the continent to Gotham. The flight was a quiet one and the 4 disguised Titans spent their time reading, eating the gourmet meal that was prepared for them and napping.

During the final hour of the flight when the 4 were awake Raven decided to break the ice.

"Dick, you haven't old us why you're going back to Gotham. Did Bruce summon you back?"

Robin feigned an annoyed expression.

"Bruce didn't summon me. Kory and I are going to see him for our own reasons."

Beast Boy was playing with a handheld GameStation and without looking up from the display he replied.

"You're gonna tell him you're engaged, right? It's about time dude." He said before diving completely back into his videogame.

Raven marveled at the news.

"Is this for real?"

Starfire beamed the happiest smile they had ever seen on her.

"Yes, friends it is true."

While the Logans congratulated the Dick and Kory, Lisa Ashmore was busy sending a Tweet to her fan base. She was simply known as the Gotham Gossip Girl in Twitter space and she had built herself a reputation as someone who knew what was happening in Gotham social circles and she was going to add to her reputation with this scoop. Her subscriber list was already over 30,000 strong and with this bit of news she would add even more to the list. It was a shame that she had to remain anonymous, but she knew that if her identity was revealed she would lose her job, which in the current economy would not be a good idea.

As soon as she finished composing her Tweet she proofed and broadcast it, using the jets built in WiFi system. Within seconds thousands of cell phones and PDAs informed their owners of the breaking story. One of the phones, a brand new iPhone, alerted its owner of the arriving news. He was in the process of getting changed as he had to rush out on an errand. Once he was dressed he picked up the phone and read the Tweet.

"My word, Master Bruce won't be expecting this." The Majordomo muttered to himself, clearly dismayed. "But then again Master Richard has been courting her Highness for some time, so I guess it was bound to happen."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Who would have thought that Alfred would subscribe to Tweets?

Thanks for your many reviews! I will continue to endeavor with this story.

And now its mailbag time!

**punk** - "Dude I think these last chapters have been the best in the story so far keep it up and happy thanksgiving xD"

_Thanks! I think that one of my weaknesses as a writer is that my stories start out strong but then become a little flabby after many chapters._

**AllYourWafflesBelongToMe** - "Whoa, I did NOT see that coming. Terra's return was really unexpected. And since when was she telepathic?

Like the other chapters, this one has been great as well!

Anyway, thanks for the great chapter!

...And out of curiosity, is "adeat" from Negima?"

_Terra isn't telepathic; Raven pushed her way into her mind, like she did with Robin._

_And yes, I borrowed the concept of a Ministra Magi from Negima! Along with the word "Adeat"_

**crazynerd** - "Sorry didn't review the last chapter. But both chaps were ridiculously awesome. Love the fact that Rae and bb can share her powers but would it be able to work in reverse, I don't really know how but it was just a thought.

I really liked how terra refused the offer to come back onto the team. Things would seriously b awkward.

And I can't wait til they find Andreas (spelling ?) And kick his butt."

_Yup, Raven has questions and hopefully Andreas will have answers._

**xXCanaryXx** - "Great Chappie as ALWAYS!

Grrrr... normally i HATE Terra. But, you made her likeable in heren thx, if she was out to get BB (like in most fics I've read with her in them) i woulda screamed, had a spazz attack, and read a different story until i chilled down a bit..

Hehe.. its funny.. the Terra Cave.

Well, can't wait till next chapter.

Great Job :)"

_Terra is always a Wild Card, and Raven knows that._

**Anon** - "Ah-right! One more chappie before the holiday! Turkey for the writer! Terra's back! Whoa, didn't see that one coming, who's next to come back? Malchior? The whole Raven staking her claim was amusing. I noticed when They were fighing Cinderblock, Beast Boy called out for Ravens power again but he didn't even check with her first! I wonder if his immediate reliance on the power-sharing will backfire at some point. Great chapter, can't wait for the next one and have an awesome turkey day!"

_You are right, Raven and BB needed to come to a power sharing arrangement. _

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "Well Terra's back and that's a surprise I love it when you take left turns on story instead of the conventional style of story telling to keep the plot exciting and riveting."

_Well, you know me, I drive off cliffs. Anything to keep you guys entertained._

**GreenRock** - "The addition of Terra will not only make the story more 'interesting' but was pure genius.

By introducing all these twists and unexpected character appearances, it keeps making me guess about - not what the curse is going to involve - but 'who' is going to be involved in the potential destruction of BB and Rae's relationship. I don't know whether to be skeptical about Terra's return or whether she is being genuine. Then again, she hasn't exactly been a genuine character as far as I can recall and she doesn't have an impressive track record in being an honest person.

Already looking foward to the next chapter with great anticipation. :D"

_Thanks! The curse is indeed murky, as Raven is finding out._

**titanfan45** - "Raven is going to have to reach some sort of an agreement with Beastboy since he seems to want to access her powers from the start of any confrontation. Raven is probably going to be "recharging" a lot. Adding Terra to the mix is going to be interesting. I liked how Raven made it plain that Beastboy was very much off limits."

_Well, they worked out a deal, but will BB stick with it?_

**FelynxTiger** - "way to bring Terra, this is the way i like her, Europe seems to be the new Tokyo, from the looks of it the action is about to start, more adventures will always bring joy, see ya next ch."

_Terra will be playing a significant role in this story._

**almostinsane** - "Great chapter! So, Terra's back, but she respects Beast Boy's and Raven's marriage. Furthermore, she refuses to move back in with them because she still loves him. I applaud her self-restraint and the fact she told Raven she was the better girl. She's grown up.

Anyway, this was fun to read. Can't wait to see Europe through Beast Boy and and Raven's eyes. That and Teen Titans vs. Nazis! :P

Thanks for writing this. God bless!"

_Thank you for reading and commenting!_

**The Cretan** - "Ah I was wondering when Terra was going to make an appearance. It's cool you put her in your stories. Like me you seem to have a soft spot for the character. That's cool. She played an intregal part in Titans Universe. Too often the poor girl gets misrepresented by both fans who love her and ones that don't. Personally I think you, Sir Alwick, and Raven's Favorite Emotion have shown her the best treatment, but that's just my opinion. Hope it doesn't offend anyone. As always you keep me wanting to come back. Happy Thanksgiving."

_Thanks, poor Terra has few fans._

**wolfenstien** - "Great chapter dude. Adding Terra to the mix usually adds some entertaining conflict between her and Raven with Beast boy stuck in the middle... I'm glad you made Terra honorable enough to leave Beast boy alone since he's married..."

_As you can already see, Raven will be losing even more sleep at night because of the Geomancer._

**AkumaKami64** - "To Your response- I prefer not to know which ones come from there.

Well, the part where Robin found out about Raven asking Slade went better than expected, as did the arrival of Terra.

Suggestion; if things get really desperate in a fight, BB could accidently become a magical/mythical creature. Besides, he's done mated with Raven- no one ever uses the loop hole where a demon's or half demon's mate gets demonic powers in this section of fanfiction. I also heard that he recently became a phoenix in the comics- moment of godhood for him if you ask me.

I forgot to ask this last time, but was/is Evangeline from Negima? I never read the whole manga, but I remember reading about her and that popped in my head.

Oh, and off topic, but can you give me tips on battle/fight scenes? I'm bad with those at the moment."

Many good questions and ideas. Who knows what kind of creatures BB will be transform into when he executes his "pactio" with Raven.

_Yes, I did borrow Evangeline's name from Negima! Of course Negima's "Dark Eva" is a powerful Vampire and Sorceress (she could definitely give Raven a run for her money) unlike our Evangeline who was a loser._

_As for advice with battle scenes, it depends on your audience. Novus Ordo Seclorum writes very good battle scenes but I think his are perhaps too involved for the typical Teen Titans reader. I like to make mine intense but not too long, usually with a surprise or two thrown in (like when Cinderblock swatted Raven down). _

**Shyguy1** - "Writing a Cowboy Bebop fic would be AWESOME! Anywho, I don't like Terra, end of story. I just have never liked her, even when I didn't know she was going to betray them. I still don't even trust her, but apparently you do so I guess I'll be content to at least let her help while BB and Rae are away. Anywho, This was a great chapter. I guessed Andreas had his dirty little fingers in all this but I don't think that is the only twist. You haven't mentioned the new shopkeeper in a while, and me-thinks that that there be suspicious... oh well, Keep Writing Space Cowboy."

_I'll have to check out any Cowboy Bebop fanfiction available on this site. I suspect that I would have to change my style a bit, but it could be a good growth experience. One thing that made the show great was the soundtrack (by The Seatbelts), which can't be done in fanfiction._

**St. Jack of randomness** - "Thank you friend! I like what you've done in this chapter, I despise Terra, but adding her to the story does add an "interesting" change. Thank you for making my birthday even better by adding this chapter. :)"

_It always makes me happy that I can make someone's day better. Thanks!_


	13. Visiting Bruce

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The celebratory exchange had concluded aboard the executive jet and the flight attendant had, without being asked, produced a bottle of champagne for the aircraft's passengers to share to toast their good news. Robin thanked Miss Ashmore but reminded her that they were still underage and that they would have to pass on the bubbly. She reluctantly restored it in the jet's refrigerator. After which she informed them that they would be landing in 30 minutes.

Robin and Starfire retreated to the front of the cabin, seating themselves in the living room area located there, and began, to Raven's shock, a very overt make out session. The sorceress glanced towards the rear of the ship where the galley was located and saw that Miss Ashmore was busy securing the jet's kitchen for the soon to be landing at Gotham International Airport. She flicked her wrist and drew closed the drapery that separated the galley from the cabin, affording the affectionate couple some privacy.

Turning to her left she found her own mate sound asleep. She already knew that he was the undisputed king of the catnap due to his unique DNA, but even after knowing him all these years and now sharing a bed with him she was still amazed at how quickly he could fall asleep (almost instantly), even in a noisy jetliner cabin. She jammed her elbow into his side, firmly enough to rouse him.

Beast Boy moaned unhappily as his precious sleep had been interrupted, and with the sensation of an elbow poked into his side still fresh in his semi awake mind he knew who had awakened him. The voice he heard next in his head put any doubt he might have had to rest.

**Wake up sleepy head.**

_Why'd ya wake me up for Rae? _Hecomplained over the telepathic link she had opened to him.

**Gar, have you had a "birds and the bees" conversation with Robin?**

"_Birds and the bees"? Why would I? I'm not his Dad. Bruce can do that. Anyway, isn't he kinda old for that? _

**That's not what I meant Gar. Do we even know if Robin and Starfire are compatible?**

Still sleepy, the changeling continued to reply telepathically as he tried to get comfortable in his seat in a vain attempt to catch one more nap before the airplane landed.

_Of course they're compatible yawn, they get along great. Now how about I nap some more until we get to Gotham?_ He said as he rolled over.

**No Gar, I mean physiologically compatible.**

The change snapped to attention, now fully awake.

_You mean plumbing wise? I never thought of that. Why shouldn't they be compatible? We are._

**But we're both mostly human Gar, Starfire isn't. She's an alien.**

_Well, I know Robin has the standard issue human male junk. What about Star?_

He paused as a look a terror struck his face.

_She has nine stomachs, oh God, then …_

**That's what I'm worried about Gar. I have no idea if it's even physically possible for them to mate. Robin might be making a HUGE assumption that isn't true. Their reproductive systems might be completely incompatible.**

_You mean like a square peg in a round hole?_

**That's one way of putting it.**

_Have you ever asked her?_

**What do you think? Starfire might be the type to randomly ask me out of the blue if I would like to compare my reproductive system to hers, but there's no way in hell I'm going to ask her that. For all I know she lays eggs and her mate spawns on them like a fish.**

The changeling snickered at the comment.

**I'm not joking Gar.**

_I know, I know. I just had a mental image of Bird Boy finding out on their wedding night. So what do we do?_

**We're going to ask her.**

_We? In case you've forgotten, I'M A DUDE! I can't ask her that!_

**And I'm a repressed demoness with hang ups. We're doing this together, got it?**

The changeling heaved a burdened sigh.

_Sure Rae, whatever you say. But what do we do if it turns out to be a nightmare scenario? Am I supposed to just casually walk up to Rob and tell him he can't do the nasty with Star?_

**I hate that expression, there's nothing nasty about lovemaking. But I do see your point. I'm not sure what to do in that case.**

The changeling stared into his wife's eyes.

_I'll tell you what we do. WE STAY OUT OF IT! Whatever happens, they'll figure out a way to be intimate, and it's none of our beeswax how they do it._

Raven sighed back at him.

**You're right Gar; I guess I really shouldn't worry about it.**

_Damn right you shouldn't, you need to relax Rae. Wait a minute! Did you just say that I was right?_

**Statistically, it's bound to happen occasionally.**

_Ha, ha, very funny Rae._

He paused as he ran his fingers through her hair.

_Whoa, you got more gray hairs, a whole bunch this time. You gotta stop stressing out Rae._

Raven looked alarmed.

**How many is a whole bunch? **

_Let's see … one, two, three, four … five_

**And you're worried about going bald? I'm not even 19 yet and I'm getting gray hairs. **

The changeling took her hand.

_Don't you worry babe, tonight I'll help you relax real good. When we're done you won't even remember the meaning of the word 'stress'._

**Aren't you the smooth talker? And don't call me 'babe'.**

Their silent conversation was interrupted by the Captain's voice.

"Folks, it's time to buckle your seat belts, we'll be landing in just a few minutes."

The changeling leaned over and pecked his wife on the cheek.

_Just leave it to me; you won't be getting anymore gray hairs._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

While it was early evening in Gotham it was still 3 AM in Salzburg. The ancient university town was silent as even the pubs had already closed for the night. Other than an occasional constable patrolling his beat on foot there was absolutely no activity whatsoever.

On the west side of town stood a large and modernized castle, which had been in the possession of the Von Zweig family for countless generations. It had mysteriously escaped damage during World War II even though the Von Zweig family had freely invited the Nazi army to freely use it as a temporary headquarters during the war.

The castle was mostly dark that night, some might say that it was a reflection of its occupants, as its many floodlights and walkways had been shut down around midnight when the castle had gone into night mode and only a few lights remained on, pouring out of some of the windows.

In the master's chamber in the main tower the lights were currently off as the Lord of the castle slumbered in his huge four poster bed. The room was as silent as a tomb when a mobile phone that was resting on the nightstand chirped, indicating that a text message had arrived.

A muscular arm emerged from the covers and retrieved the phone. The man it belonged to read the message, which was encoded in kanji script and he sat up immediately.

"Bitches! Out!" He barked.

Two shapely women, one a blond and the other a redhead, who were resting on either side of him, groaned as they slowly woke up.

"But Andreas, it's still so early." The blond complained.

"Don't make me tell you twice Angela." He snarled at the woman. Meanwhile the red head, who was stark naked, got up and left the room without saying a word.

"My name is Ingrid. I thought you said you weren't seeing Angela anymore?"

Andreas' patience was almost gone.

"If I have to tell you to leave you one more time, I'll throw you out the window myself."

The blond frowned at him.

"I'll play your perverted sex games Andreas, but I won't let you talk to me like that. I'm through with you!"

"Whatever, now get the hell out."

Ingrid, also buck naked, stomped out of the room collecting her clothes as she left and slammed the door shut behind her as she left.

Finally alone Andreas hit the speed dial on his phone. Within a moment a women answered the call in Japanese.

"Hiromi? You said they are on their way?" He replied, also in Japanese

"Yes master, they boarded a private jet owned by Bruce Wayne. My contacts in the FAA said that the plane took them to Gotham."

"So the Batman is getting involved. It is of no consequence. I want you back in Europe Hiromi; get here as soon as possible. We will need to throw a party for our guests … when they arrive."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The drive back to the manor was initially a quiet one. Alfred had taken the Bentley to collect the 4 disguised Titans. He had cordially welcomed Robin back to Gotham, after gallantly greeting the alien princess. While he had been polite with the Logans his demeanor towards them, Raven in particular, felt distant and cold.

As the majordomo guided the limousine down one of many of Gotham's elevated expressways the three Titans got an eyeful of Robin's old "hometown". Starfire immediately noticed the somber and cheerless environment the city exuded, she almost felt as if it were telling her to turn around and go home. Beast Boy's animal senses were in overdrive as the gothic, concrete canyon of a town felt hostile to anything green or natural.

Raven was surprised by her own take on the famous city. Like with the other two, it was her first time in Gotham. When she was younger she had seen images of the city in a large book titled "Gotham: A visual tour" that Alfred had given to Robin as a present some years before. Back then the city's foreboding look and architecture had appealed to her own inner darkness. Seeing it in the flesh she realized that she had indeed changed as she did not find it appealing. She noticed that people in other vehicles on the road had unhappy expressions on their faces and often yelled obscenities at each other as they drove their cars in aggressive and even hazardous ways.

"This place is creepy." The changeling muttered under his breath before catching himself in the act. "Sorry Rae, I guess this is your kinda town."

"Not anymore." She whispered back to him. "I guess I stopped liking the dark once I found my green night light."

Several minutes later they reached Wayne Manor. As Alfred pulled the Bentley into the garage he casually asked Robin a question.

"Master Richard, is there any truth to the rumor that you are now betrothed to her Highness?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Alfred led the Titans to their rooms so they could freshen up before dinner. He placed the Princess in the "Presidential" guest room, which was larger than the common room back home. Robin was placed in another large room, next to his old room which was now occupied by Tim Drake, his recent replacement as Bruce's ward. The Logans were shown a cold looking, dark room at the end of the hall. Alfred had already informed them that dinner would be served in an hour and that Masters Bruce and Tim would be present. He also informed them that their disguises would be unnecessary as there were no guests or staff in the house at the time.

The Logans removed their holorings but stayed in their civilian clothes. After quickly freshening up Beast Boy knew he was lucky in that Raven was a no-nonsense kind of girl who didn't spend endless amounts of time primping herself. Of course she didn't need to, she had a natural beauty that he found "stimulating". So after washing their faces and brushing their hair they were ready. They left their room and were soon knocking on Robin's door, who was also ready and he let them enter.

"So what do you guys think of Wayne Manor?"

"It matches the city where it's located." Raven replied. "I never thought I'd say this, but I actually miss Jump City and its endless bright sunny days."

"Me too, this is a creepy town. No wonder you guys get so many whacko's here. Even Slade moved on from Gotham. And what's with the butler Rob? He's being icy to us, especially Rae."

"I think I can explain that." Robin answered.

"When we formed the team years ago Bruce performed some back ground checks on you guys. At first he couldn't find out anything about Raven, so he got an old friend to help him."

"You mean an old flame." Raven interrupted.

Robin looked shocked.

"How did you know Raven?"

"I'm not just a pretty face Bird Boy."

Robin recovered from his surprise.

"Right … anyway Bruce asked Zatanna to help him since it was known that Raven has magical powers. Zatanna learned that Raven was half demon and told Bruce to not trust her."

"That's a big surprise." Raven said sarcastically.

"Bruce pressured me to kick Raven out of the Titans, but never said why. I of course told him to get lost."

"So I'm persona non-grata in this house." Raven added.

"I don't get it, Bruce knows you saved the world from Trigon, and so should Alfred. I guess Zatanna's opinion still carries a lot of weight in Wayne Manor. I'm sorry guys, I should have dug deeper. Alfred didn't say anything when I asked him if you guys could come visit with us, he even arranged the corporate jets."

Just then a grandfather clock chimed. It was time for dinner.

"Let's go get Starfire; it's time to meet Bruce."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Alfred had set 6 settings in the "informal" dining room. Compared to the dishes and cutlery the Titans were accustomed to the settings looked utterly sumptuous, as did the entire dining room, even though it was the "everyday" stuff that Alfred had laid out.

Bruce and Tim were already seated at the table. Bruce was sipping a cup of coffee and was reading the evening edition of the Gotham News while Tim, who looked bored, was fidgeting with his fork. As the four Titans entered Robin greeted his former mentor, who replied by unfurling the newspaper, showing its headline: Dick Grayson to wed mystery girl.

"It seems that every reporter in Gotham is trying to figure out who 'Kory Anders' is. I suppose congratulations are in order."

Dick shook his head in dismay.

"How did they find out? We haven't told anyone. We only told Cyborg before we left and Raven and Beast Boy didn't find out until we were already airborne…"

Raven cleared her throat, gaining the Boy Blunder's attention. Richard turned to his gray sister who stared into his eyes.

"Oh, of course, sorry Raven. Of course, introductions are in order…"

Robin cleared his own throat before continuing.

"Bruce, this is Raven … Logan and her husband Garfield, also known as Beast Boy."

The changeling darted straight to Bruce and took his hand, shaking it vigorously.

"PLEASED TO MEET YOU MR. WAYNE! WHEN CAN WE GO SEE THE BAT CAVE?"

Bruce chuckled at the green Titan's enthusiasm while he noticed that Raven was rolling her eyes.

"I think a tour can be arranged, and please, call me Bruce." He replied as he wrestled his hand away from Beast Boy's vise like grip (he made a mental note: _he's stronger than he looks_). He then approached Raven and extended his hand to her.

"I'm pleased to meet you Raven. The world owes you a great debt."

Raven shook hands with the doubly infamous Bruce Wayne/Dark Knight.

"Thank you Bruce, I was worried that I was still a pariah in your household."

Bruce looked lost in thought, from which he quickly snapped out of, regaining his composure.

"I owe you an apology Raven."

"Thank you Bruce, it's gladly accepted."

Robin cleared his throat.

"Bruce I also want you to meet…"

"Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran, known on Earth as Starfire of the Teen Titans." Bruce interrupted as he took her hand and gallantly kissed it, causing the alien to blush. "I see Dick has won your heart." He quickly glanced at Richard. "I don't know how he did it, but congratulations."

"Very funny Bruce." Dick interrupted, cross armed and with a frown on his face.

"Lighten up Dick; you could take some lessons from Tim, who I also need to introduce."

Bruce paused as Tim stood up. It was obvious to all that the lad was no older than 12.

"This is Tim Drake. He is my ward, just as Dick used to be. He's also in training and will be soon taking Dick's place as Robin."

"I beg your pardon?" Raven interjected. "This is the first I've heard about this."

"Ditto." The changeling added. "So are there gonna be two Robins now?"

"I've asked Dick to create a new hero identity for himself; incidentally, how is that coming along Dick?"

Starfire answered for her betrothed.

"Richard and I have it down to three candidates: Nighthawk, Darkwing and Nightwing."

"Hmmm… none of those sound bad." Raven commented. "Does this mean that the traffic light suit is also going away?"

Starfire nodded.

"Yes, we are also busy designing new costumes for both of us."

"Uh guys, Darkwing is a duck." Beast Boy informed them as he morphed into a masked duck.

"Then I guess we're down to Nighthawk and Nightwing." Richard commented as the others snickered.

"I actually like Nightwing better." Raven commented again. "It has my vote."

"Mine too." Beast Boy, now back in his human form, added.

"Mine three!" Starfire bubbled. "It is unanimous!"

"Don't I get a say?" Richard asked, slightly dismayed.

"No dude, you don't. Plus you're getting married, so get used to … oww! What was that for Rae?" Beast Boy complained after Raven elbowed him in the ribs.

"You don't share that secret with single men." She answered in her monotone, while she sported a subtle smile.

"It's already common knowledge Raven." Bruce added. "Why do you think Alfred and I are still single?"

"Speaking of Alfred is it my imagination or is he still feeling hostile towards me?" Raven asked.

"You'll have to forgive Alfred Raven, he has some preconceived notions about anyone who has even a drop of demon blood in their veins and I'm afraid he won't be changing his mind."

Then as if in cue, Alfred entered the dining room pushing a serving cart.

"For tonight's dinner we'll start with a lobster bisque and Caesar Salad, followed by Chicken Cordon Bleu. For dessert there are a variety of pastries to choose from. Also I prepared a vegetarian soup and entrée for Mr. Logan."

"Bon appétit"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The meal was delicious and Alfred served some exotic liqueurs after the meal to celebrate Starfire and Richard's engagement. There was some further socializing in the library afterwards and from there Bruce and Tim gave the Titans a tour of the Batcave. Richard looked around his old stomping grounds, noticing the many things that had changed since he left years before to seek a new life in Jump City. As he inspected the new Bat computer his ears picked up a familiar sound: The Logans were bickering.

"It's just a car; I don't see what the big deal is."

Beast Boy's gasp echoed throughout the Batcave.

"Just a car? JUST A CAR? Raven, this is the Batmobile! It's not 'just a car'!"

"Whatever." She sighed.

A few minutes later the sound of an approaching motorcycle was heard. Starfire was near the spot where it pulled up and she saw a shapely spandex clad female dismount from the high tech bike. She wore a cape and cowl not unlike Batman's own.

"You're Starfire!" the Batgirl squealed with glee. "OMG! You're Dick's fiancé!"

Barbara Gordon threw her arms around Starfire and even kissed her on the cheek. The Tamaranian reciprocated with one of her bone crushing hugs. When she saw that Barbara was beginning to turn blue she released her and apologized.

"Whew! Dick said you were almost as strong as Supergirl. I see he wasn't kidding!"

All those events had happened hours before. Later that evening Dick had joined Bruce and Tim on a routine evening patrol while Barbara and Starfire headed to the kitchen to eat some of Alfred's homemade gourmet ice cream while they "did the girl talk".

The Logans had retreated to their room for the evening as their flight would be leaving early the next morning. They had gotten comfy in the huge canopy bed in their room. Beast Boy had dressed in some warm flannel pajamas that Alfred had set out for him while Raven was attired in a long flannel nightgown. There was a fire roaring in the fire place and they were both reading. Beast Boy had several large pillows behind him and was propped up on them as he read some new comic books he had purchased before the trip. Raven was resting her head on his stomach while she read a copy of The Brothers Karamazov.

"Catching up on some 'light' reading, huh Rae?" He teased her as he tossed his comic book aside.

"I'm surprised you're still reading comic books. I thought you had left those behind." She lobbed his barb right back at him.

"Nah, even though you got me reading more books than before, sometimes you just need to read a good old fashioned comic book."

"Whatever floats your boat Gar." She replied as she bookmarked her page and closed the book.

"Ready to hit the hay?" He asked her. "I'm beat."

She sat up, her face expressionless, and looked at him in the eyes.

"If I'm not mistaken, you promised to seduce me tonight." She answered in her monotone.

"Yeah, I guess did, back on the airplane." He answered innocently.

"And you know that I have zero tolerance for people who don't keep their promises, right?"

"Yup, that's right."

"So, what are you going to do about that?"

"Could I interest you in a rain check?" He teased her.

"Absolutely not."

"Well…" He said as he turned off the light. "… I am a man of my word."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Well, we got to see what Andreas is like behind closed doors. And who is Hiromi?

We're also moving forward at a healthy clip, getting close to 7000 hits (and 170 reviews). Thanks to all of you!

And don't forget to read (and review) Ganguro! We're getting to some quality action now! If you like this story, Ganguro is even better.

I also saw the Premiere for 'Young Justice' the new series about the 'junior' Justice League members on Cartoon Network. It was well done and I liked it, however, I am sorry to say, this new show is the final nail in the Teen Titans' coffin as Young Justice is clearly a replacement for Teen Titans. Oh well, at least we still have fan fiction. And who knows, we might see Raven, Beast Boy, Cyborg and Starfire have some cameos on the new show. They will look and sound very different (anyone see Starfire in Superman & Batman: Public Enemies?)"

And now, your favorite part of the chapter: the mail bag!

**xXCanaryXx** - "OMG OMG OMG OMG!

I knew Terra couldn't be THAT likeable!

OMIGOSH What is gonna happen?

Well, anyways, this chappie was great as always. Sorry my review took longer than normally, :P

Ya' see, i read it then i didnt hav time to review. But, i am doing the reviewing now!

Remember, Keep Writing! :D"

_Let's not write off the Geomancer, at least not yet!_

**Ben** A - "Awesome story so far. I have three questions. Is Terra actually up to no good again? Is that "petite Asian woman" spying on BB and Rae for Andreas? And why do you keep putting the TM on "Chromatically Challenged Couple"? Can't wait for the next chapter."

_The trademark symbol ™ is actually a gag I started for Novus Ordo Seclorum. I believe that I coined the term "Chromatically Challenged Couple" so as a gag I always place the trademark symbol next to it. Of course I don't really own any trademark on that name, and I'm sure that if I tried I would have DC Comics legal team all over me like a cheap suit!_

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "Oh crap, Terre does her turn again, argh! A Bad case of Deja Vu all over, same old over and over. And for this chappie, always trust Rae's instinct, Terra's gonna do her thing again, like goddamnit does eh ever learn? Terra that is."

_Patience grasshopper, the truth will eventually be known!_

**titanfan45** - "Lisa Ashmore is back and still a gossip! Never thought of Alfred as being one to recieve tweets, but as Batman's butler it makes perfect sense. No doubt Miss Ashmore is going to be called on the carpet for this stunt. With the vision that Raven had, I doubt if Terra caused the avalanche although the evidence lends credibility to such an allegation. "

_LOL! Lisa only made a cameo in this story. For those not familiar with her, she's an OC I created in "The Jokers Shadow"._

**The One They Call Shamis** - "So, first off, love the chapter as usual. Secondly, I love how easy it is to connect with Raven in this chapter. And finally, you were right, I never expected Alfred to be a Twitter subscriber. Weird. Well, keep it up! It's Fantastic so far!"

_Thanks, I like to think of Raven as the deepest character in the show (closely followed by BB)._

**Mortal Guardian** - "A petite Asian woman routing a text to someone? Is To-Chi (Ganguro) in this story, too?"

_LOL! Nope! Hiromi is her own woman. A little spoiler: She's a sorceress, and not a hack like Evangeline either!_

**almostinsane** - "Great chapter! Hmm, now with that revelation about the lanslide and Terra "conveniently" arriving, I'm a little wary of her... Anyway, thanks for writing this. I can't wait to read more, especially about Gotham's gossip. :P LOL. It would make sense for Alfred to become used to new technology, given his employer. Thanks for writing this. God bless!"

_Thanks! Terra always keeps us (and Raven) on our toes._

**AkumaKami64** - "Hmmm, so maybe Terra is up to no good. Robin's going to somehow find out who sent that news out, isn't he? Thanks for the advice!"

_Terra will be back in a few chapters. For now she's helping Cyborg out on the home front._

**FelynxTiger** - "what a torture to Raven just imagine that is painful ,and she is already making some conclusions which made us more confused! The good think is taht Bruce don't have twitter XD so Awesome! and incredible :) until Next chapty :D"

_I thought it would be funny for someone as straight laced as Alfred to subscribe to gossip tweets!_

**Thowell3** - "Shouldn't there Last Name Be Logan? Why did Robin Call them Roth?"

_The idea was to keep them undercover. Outside of the Titans no one (in my story) knows that Raven has a last name, or that it's Roth._

**GreenRock** - "Well, I had porridge with raspberries and a cup of tea whilst reading this as opposed to the American 'equivalent'. But anyways . . .

Nice to see Lisa back and still up to her deviousness (which I love) . . . and who'd have thunk it; Alfred on Twitter? What next; he has a FaceBook account?

Back to the story. Now Rae and BB are becoming increasingly more skeptical of Terra, as well as her possible link to the avalanche adds more spice to the story - or raspberries to the porridge (I know . . . LAME!).

Another mysterious character in the form of an Asian woman . . . hmmmmmmm; very suspicious.

Another great read. Keep it up."

_Thanks. I should have explained why my readers would be eating turkey sandwiches on a Friday. For those of you outside the USA, Thursday was Thanksgiving Day ,when we Americans eat roasted turkey. Another American tradition is to finish the leftover turkey before we get sick and tired of it!_

**AllYourWafflesBelongToMe** - "Once again, you managed to pull off another chapter to make readers sit on the edge of their seat, roll on the floor laughing, and wonder what your story has in store for the readers as the plot begins to unfurl and take Beastboy and Raven deeper and deeper into the heart of Andreas' scheme, and to the greatest adventure of their lives.

You had no idea how excited I was when I found out that chapter 12 was up early! :D Thanks so much for updating!

Oh, and belated Happy thanksgiving!"

_Thank you ... so ... would you want my waffles if they were turkey waffles?_

**The Cretan** - "OF COURSE! Alfred subscribes to tweets. You should check out his Facebook page too! You know he keeps up on all that. All Batman and Robin ever do is watch the monitors. Al fixes their gadgets, their party arrangements, the Batmobile, the batcoptor, the batplane, their hair, their PB&J, everything! They be lost without him. Seriously, awesome chapter. Hopefully, Raven won't worry herself to bad over Terra. She needs to remember one of the pillars to a relationship is trust. As always keep up the good work and have fun.

P.S. I mean that have fun. Or I'll drag you to Crete and feed you to the Minotaur. HA HA Peace"

_One of the coolest things about writing fan fiction is that its read by people around the world, including non English speaking countries, which for me is very touching to know that people make the effort to read my stories in English, even when it's not their first language. Thank you._

**raven rockz** - "ooooh im liking how this story is going! thanks for writing it!"

_Thanks and welcome new reader! I hope you enjoy the remaining chapters as much as #1._

**bk00** - "lol. alfred, how you never cease to amaze me!"

_As I illustrated in this chapter, while a man of many skills and talents, Alfred is not without flaws (who is?). I hope I haven't offended any fans of the famous majordomo._

**Shyguy1 **- "This was good... that's pretty much all there is to say. You're right, the soundtrack was one of the best. Ah well, Que sa ra sa ra. I knew Terra wasn't to be trusted. Very well thought out plan on Terra's part, she's more cunning than I thought. Anyway, Robing finally got the balls to ask Starfire to marry him, that's epic. I love how BB just kinda knows that they are engaged without even looking up from his game. Great Chapter, Keep Writing Space Cowboy."

_Thanks! I like to think that BB is far more clever than most people give him credit._


	14. In the Batcave

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Batmobile glided through one of the Batcave's hidden and secret entrances. In this case a massive boulder rolled out of the way, granting the famous black car access to Gotham's best kept secret: the location of the Batcave.

The tunnel appeared to be an ordinary cave at first. There was no artificial lighting or electrical fixtures visible and the floor was bumpy and uneven. To a casual observer it looked like an ordinary cave. Further into the cave there was a wide chasm that was spanned temporarily by a platform that slid out. The chasm was there to keep any would be explorers from delving any deeper and accidentally discovering the Batcave. There were other security measures as well, including a robotic bear that had more than once shooed away the curious who had made it past the sliding boulder.

The Batmobile was the latest incarnation in the dynasty of vehicles that served as Batman's ground transportation. It possessed technology that even put the T-Car to shame, plus as Beast Boy had mentioned earlier it was way cooler than the T-Car. It seated four and Dick sat in the back seat, wearing his Robin costume while Tim was attired in his own less flashy version of the Boy Wonder.

Dick felt uneasy about this situation. He had been Robin for years and his alter ego had ingrained itself into his psyche, to the point where he often had difficulty in separating Dick Grayson from Robin. While it was true that being Robin implied that he was still the Batman's sidekick he knew that was no longer anyone's sidekick and that it was time to let Tim replace him as the Boy Wonder. Nevertheless, surrendering his traffic light wasn't easy, in spite of all the baggage that came with it.

Dick recalled the blowup that had happened between him and Bruce. It had been building up for some time, he remembered the bitterness that had swelled up in him back when Bruce refused to treat him as a partner. The straw that broke the camel's back had been the time when Bruce used excessive force on a two bit hood, trying to extract information from him about the Joker. It had happened right in front of the man's wife and young son.

At that point Dick realized he could no longer work with Bruce. The words he shouted still rang in his ears as if it had happened just yesterday.

_I'm out of here._

At that fateful moment Dick severed all ties with Batman and headed out to the west coast, to Jump City, to start a new life for himself, a life where he wouldn't be a sidekick.

Yet that had proven to be elusive. As much as Robin had tried to be the "unBatman" he failed. Even though he tried to be different, to be unique, his own man, he kept catching himself behaving like his old mentor, especially after the Titans were founded and he became their leader. Early on he had almost ripped the team apart after his fight with Cyborg.

If there was a saving grace for him it was that unlike Bruce he could, sometimes, admit he was wrong. He knew that his teammates were fantastic, without peer. They were also his dearest friends. Cyborg and Raven were the siblings he never had. He had been able to overcome the Batclan obsession with crime fighting to build a romantic relationship with Starfire.

And then there was Beast Boy. He at first had his doubts about the changeling and mostly tolerated him at first because his powers occasionally came in handy. It wasn't until the showdown with the Brotherhood of Evil that Dick finally understood the mettle the changeling had within him.

So much had happened and changed in so little time, and as it happens so often in life, often against one's own will, it was time to move on.

"Hey Dick! We're back!" Tim's voice echoed inside the Batmobile. Richard acknowledged that he heard Tim's remark with a wave of his hand and climbed out of the Batmobile. It was then that he experienced déjà vu, reliving what was both a familiar and yet at the same time new experience. It was as if he had returned home and yet was an outsider. For the first time in his life he understood the parable of the Prodigal Son, for he had once been dead (to Bruce) but was alive again.

"Are you OK Dick?" Bruce asked him while Dick stared off into the void. Snapping back into reality he turned to his former mentor.

"I'm sorry Bruce."

"So am I." The Dark Knight replied as he lowered his cowl while Tim retrieved a plate of sandwiches that Alfred had left for them in a fridge in the rear of the Batcave.

"What happened to us Bruce?"

"We were victims of our own success." He replied between mouthfuls of sandwich.

Richard nodded as he absentmindedly shoved a sandwich into his mouth, which he washed down with a glass of milk.

"You made me in your own image."

"I did Dick, and for that I'm sorry. You have no idea how glad I am that you have found someone to share your life with. Heaven knows I tried, and failed every time. Speaking of which, I think we might need to have a talk…"

Dick swallowed the remainder of his sandwich in a single gulp.

"What do you mean? What kind of talk?"

"Starfire is a lovely young lady, but she is an alien…"

Dick broke out laughing.

"Relax Bruce, we've got that covered."

"You're certain of that?"

"Yes, we are. Yesterday we had Cyborg run a scan on Starfire. She and I are fully … well … you know what I mean."

"What is he talking about?" Tim mumbled as he shoved another sandwich into his mouth.

Dick grinned as he turned towards his replacement.

"When a mommy and a daddy love each other very much …"

"Stop!" Tim yelped. "That's gross! I don't wanna hear about it!"

"Good to see you're a normal kid Tim." Dick teased him. "Trust me, some day you won't think it's gross."

"Sez you!"

"Well, now that we got this out of the way, I do have a more serious question … why are the Logans travelling in disguise to Europe? Something tells me that this isn't a belated honeymoon for them." Bruce asked.

Robin tensed up as the moment of levity evaporated. This was Titans' business, his business. He could feel the pride swelling within him. They weren't kids anymore; they had proven that time over time. In many ways Raven and Beast Boy were now more mature than Bruce, more balanced than the compulsive obsessive mentor Dick had left behind years ago.

But Dick also knew that they needed all the help they could get. The Logans were off to face a mysterious foe, one who probably had ties to Trigon himself. Dick was fully aware of what was at risk, for there was no room for error. This would no doubt be the last chance they would get to find a way to break the curse, which held on to the Logans with the viciousness, resolve and determination that a pit bull held on when it bit its prey.

Dick knew that this was not the time to prove anything to Bruce and that there was no dishonor in asking for help when it was truly needed. And he knew this was one of those times.

All that remained in the fireplace were a few glowing embers, which crackled and sparked occasionally. One very loud pop was heard as a stray piece of wood, still full of resin cracked with a loud snap, violating the peace in the large Victorian room.

The occupants of the large canopy bed were slumbering peacefully, like two spoons in a drawer in their intimate pose. The now taller green man had his right arm draped over his wife's hip; his rough palm was resting on her silk smooth thigh as they both snored in near unison. It was then that two amethyst eyes popped open, startled by the sound from the fireplace.

Beast Boy shifted as he mumbled something unintelligible and quickly settled back into a deep slumber, his hand now resting on Raven's stomach, briefly caressing it before it too became quiescent. Raven placed her own hand on top of his and savored the moment.

If anyone would have told her a year ago that she and the changeling would be mated and become lovers she never would have believed it, yet now sleeping every night au natural with her young spouse felt as natural as drinking a glass of water and as comforting as a morning breeze. It already seemed as if it had always been this way, the sharing and the intimacy had become an integral part of their lives.

And yet it was in constant danger of being lost. It irritated Raven when Beast Boy told her to relax, but deep down she knew that he was right, that no amount of fretting or worrying would have any effect on the curse. Still, it was so hard to not stress over the issue. This was of course terra incognita for Raven. She had always been able to keep her feelings in check with meditation, but she could not do so this time, especially as their mission into the unknown loomed menacingly before them.

Raven clutched his hand as she pondered what was lying ahead, waiting for them in Europe. She glanced at the alarm clock and saw that it was just barely past 3 AM and she knew that she needed to get some more sleep, knowing well that unlike her mate she would not be able to sleep while travelling in the jet.

At the same time those troubles felt as if they were far away and she felt calm, even happy resting next to Beast Boy. Raven wished that she could stop time, or at least slow it down, her only desire at the moment that she be able to make this brief moment of bliss and happiness last forever. Of course she knew that it was a pipe dream, even without the curse. Even perfect marriages only lasted as long as Father Time allowed them to endure. She knew that her mate was right, all anyone could do was live life to the fullest and not fear the unknown, for the end was inevitable for everyone, no one was spared the inevitable curse of physical mortality. Just the other day he told her that a long life and a short life were but mere moments in eternity, and thus not all that different. At first she was very impressed with that tidbit of wisdom he shared with her, until he later confessed that he had heard it on a rerun of the old Kung Fu TV series.

Just as she had given up hope of catching any more sleep that night she felt his warm lips caress the nape of her neck.

"Just relax Rae, you need to sleep." He muttered still half asleep himself.

Raven gently rolled over and kissed him several times before settling into his gentle embrace.

Within minutes the two slept as one, their souls as intertwined as their lives. Tomorrow they would embark on their mission, two superheroes with an objective, but for now they were two friends, soul mates and lovers.

That night, even if it was only for a brief moment, Raven experienced peace in her lover's arms.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Bruce listened intently as Dick ran through everything that had happened regarding the curse. Starfire and Barbara had returned to the Batcave and listened in as well.

"So that's all you were able to find out about Andreas?" Barbara asked.

"So far. Raven and BB are actually going on a fact finding trip to Europe. Raven is going the visit the entire magical community across the continent. They'll be starting in Zurich, arriving undercover. From there they'll take trains and buses to visit places like Budapest, Transylvania, Prague, etc. One they believe they have enough dirt on Andreas we'll decide what the next step is." Dick replied as Barbara strolled over to the Bat computer.

Barbara began to type away furiously and after a few minutes she shouted "Bingo!"

As everyone turned in her direction they saw what looked like a mug shot of Andreas on the huge screen above the console. Dick gasped as he saw the copious amounts of text that appeared next to the image.

"Where did you find all that information?"

Babs grinned at her former teammate.

"Justice League database. I'm surprised you guys haven't petitioned for membership in the League, you'd get access to all kinds of goodies…"

"No thanks, the Titans would rather not be on a leash, with a babysitter appointed by the league."

Babs sighed.

"You guys shouldn't be so proud Dick, league membership has it benefits. They won't treat you like kids, you've already proven yourselves."

"Barbara is right." Bruce added. "There has been some discussion of extending an invitation to your team."

Dick's tension vanished and he unfolded his arms, having unconsciously adopted the defensive posture.

"Cyborg and Beast Boy will be thrilled. So what does that dossier say about Andreas?"

"Richard, shall I go and retrieve our friends to see this?"

Dick shook his head.

"Let them rest, we can brief them in the morning."

Barbara had just printed a hard copy of the report and began to go over the main points.

"First of all it says that the Von Zweig family had been known to be harbor dark sorcerers for centuries. Some were rather formidable and had to be defeated by a coordinated effort of good mages. It also says that until Andreas appeared on the scene that there had been no known sorcerers in family since the late 1800's".

Babs flipped to the next page and continued reading.

"Andreas is the current holder of the family's title of nobility, as the 36th Viscount of Salzburg, a title that is currently only honorary in modern Austria. His great grandfather was the Viscount during World War II and collaborated with the Nazis. He vanished soon after the war ended. Andreas' grandfather Helmut became the Viscount after the war and he father Norbert became the Viscount at the age of 18 when Helmut also vanished. Norbert held that title until he too disappeared in 2003 and Andreas assumed the title immediately."

"Nice family. Patience doesn't seem to run in it." Dick interjected.

"Apparently Andreas learned that having offspring in the Von Zweig family can be hazardous to one's health. He has never married and in public projects the image of being a free spending, hedonistic playboy in Salzburg. His net worth is estimated to exceed 1 billion Euros as the family owns vast amounts of prime property all across Europe, much of which was acquired by Helmut at fire sale prices after the war concluded."

"What is there to not like about the guy?" Tim asked sarcastically.

Barbara flipped to the next page in the report.

"And now here comes the juicy part. As a college student he went to Japan as an exchange student and wound up staying there until he completed his degree. He befriended a woman named Hiromi Ayase who introduced him to Japanese dark magic. It is believed that they are lovers but it has never been confirmed. After he finished in Japan he attended the University of Metropolis where he worked on a graduate degree. It says here that at the time he befriended an Arella Roth who introduced him into the cult of Trigon. It is also rumored that they were lovers."

Starfire gasped at that last piece of information.

"Starfire, what is it? Do you know who Arella Roth is?" Dick asked her.

The princess nodded sadly.

"Yes friends, I do. This news is not glorious, for Arella Roth … is Raven's mother."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A shorter chapter, I figure you guys are tapping your feet impatiently, waiting for an update. So here it is.

Also, as some of you probably noticed, I lifted the Robin/Batman breakup flashback from Batman the Animated Series from the episode where Nightwing tells Tim Drake how he and Bruce split up (I did skip the part where Robin punches Batman).

And without further ado, it's time for the mail bag!

**Anon** - "OMG! I missed reviewing the chapter before this! Curse you Thanksgiving turkey and your evil ways of making me forgetful! I hope your holidays were good. I want to see more Alfred-Raven interaction; maybe shed some light on why he doesn't like any of demon decent. I have to ask...is Raven aging quicker? The gray hairs, the slight weight gain. Maybe the curse is that she ages quicker and dies sooner rather than one of them dying in battle? Just speculating. Can't wait for the next chapter!"

_Ooh! I love it when readers speculate at what's really happening!_

**crazynerd** - "Ohh nice chapter. Glad that Bruce doesn't have hostile feelings towards Rae anymore. I'm kinda surprised on how well he took the news of robstar getting married. Soo Im thinking that it'll b hilarious when bbrae try to star about being compatible with rob"

_As you now know, Starfire and Robin aren't as clueless as Raven thinks they are. _

**The Cretan** - "Awesome chapter dude, but I should have expected it, you have never failed to keep me entertained. Nobody does twists as nobody does twists as good you. Props on Bruce. In my opinion you nailed him pat.

Hope to read more. I think I might have given you misconceptions. I actually live in the southern Appalachian Mts. and I've absorbed every piece of literature I can find. Anyway I just call myself The Cretan and joke about the Minotaur sometimes because its my favorite Greek myth. I'm sorry if I've offended you or anything. You're one my favorite authors, fanfic or professional, and your stories are some of the best on this website in my opinion. Peace."

_No worries! But what I said before is true, I am very touched that there are so many international readers. The stats page on fan fiction gives a breakdown on the number of visitors and hits from each country and while the lion's share of readers are in the USA the number of internationals is not trivial._

**titanfan45** - "First off, I cracked up when Raven reminded BeastBoy that he had promised to seduce her! LOL! Well at least he's a man of his word. I already don't like Andreas in the least."

_As you may have already figured out, Andreas is this story's arch villain._

**AllYourWafflesBelongToMe** - "Yes, I'd want your waffles even if they were turkey waffles!

Yay! As always, you've written another great chapter about everyone's chromatically(sp?) challenged couple!

Hope you update (and give me waffles) soon!"

_I'll send you your turkey waffles as soon as I figure out how to email them._

**Shyguy1** - "Keepin' it short. Alfred is great. What a scene between BB and Rae. Hiromi has me worried. And do the puzzle pieces (aka. Robin and Starfire) go together or are we goin' out of a different box here. Keep Writing Space Cowboy."

_Keep an eye out for Hiromi in future chapters._

**Ferlion12** - "Im going to take a guess here, and its probably wrong..

Ravnes lifeforce is being fed into Evangeline, and THATS the way Raven will "lose" beast boy. By her ceasing to exist.

Great few last chapters.."

_Another interesting guess. Of course I won't spill the beans, at least not yet._

**Ben A** - "Another awesome chapter! I remember Starfire saying that she had nine stomachs in the episode "Mother-Mae-Eye." Here's two more questions. Didn't Zatanna also reveal Raven's demonic nature to the JLA and tell them not to trust her in the older DC comics? Shouldn't Robin and Starfire have decided on Robin's new superhero name before this? After all, Starfire went to the future and saw Robin as Nightwing in the episode "How Long Is Forever?" "

_Oops! Good point! Let's just pretend Starfire never took that trip to the future with Warp._

**Light versus Dark** - "Can't wait till the next update! And when is Terra going to show up. And I think the vision Raven had from the other chapter is what the spell will do. And will Alfred ever warm up to Raven?"

_Terra will show up later. As to whether Raven's dreams are prophetic or not, who knows? Maybe she just hates Terra._

**almostinsane** - "Great chapter! Wow, Andreas is a jerk, big surprise. This is getting better and better. LOL. It's good to see Raven has a healthy libido. Thanks for writing this. God bless!"

_I think villains are better when they are jerks._

**xXCanaryXx** - "Oh..my..god!

Ok, added gray hairs to the list, just incase.

Ok, im gonna go out on a branch and say maybe she's turnin full demon or somethin. Because demon Rae does look a bit chubby, and she has silvery hair.

Bit, i highly doubt my guessin. But, whatevs.

Uggh, racist Alfred. Hehe, well we know he doesnt trust Rae but he dislikes BB just cuz their married, or...?

Well, as always, a great chapter, and as always, i loved it!"

_More speculation! I kind of like yours (no promises though)._

**GreenRock** - "Hmmmmm . . . future family matters conflicting in with the plot; this don't look good.

The current matter of Rae gathering grey hairs on her noggin is certainly seems to be nonchantly regarded by either Rae and BB, but I'm starting to think that they should be more worried about this than they are already.

Also, this Andreas seems to be a real gentlemen. I'd have thought that if he has woman sniffing around him every waking hour, he should be more appreciative. Anyways, beggars can't be choosers I guess.

The mystery is still being poured onto the story and I can't wait to see it all unfold."

_I'm glad I'm getting you guys to dislike Andreas._

**FelynxTiger** - "Bruce with sense of humor lol, and looks like u take Zatana like in the original comics of 1980 she tells the justice league bout Raven , Andreas first appearance was nice and somewhat intimidating . oh and i must say we r lucky because u give us a fast update thanks! ,

i also check Young Justice, i like the animation , and Miss Martial animated was awesome, i think my fav character so far will be Kid Flash i like it i like it,also Robin's tenology it was way cool he may not have powers but it have super amazing tecnology! until next chapter"

_Robins exploding birdarangs reminded me of the ones Slade gave him when Robin was his apprentice._

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "Haha no , Ms Ashmore from one of yer fix returns on The Gift xD

Anyways lolcopter moment on Gar addressing Bruce as Mr Wayne, luckily he didn't pull off a Henry Rollins and go starstuck and went hysterical lol like when Henry did when he met his idol Iggy Pop xD

Anyways so the Von Zweig helped the Nazis and etc and gut feeling says that the Nazis during WW2 nearly wanted the help of Trigon and gut feeling also says that the Von Zweig clan were Trigonite Worshippers. And you know what Screw Zatanna, Raven can whallop her fishnet wand wearing arse any time as White Raven. Sorry Zatanna but the most powerful sorceress in Titan land hands down it's Raven."

_Lisa is perhaps my favorite OC. She deserved at least a cameo in this story._

**bk00** - "Really great chapter! I'm glad I understand why Alfred's treating them so! lol at BB meeting Bruce. I love how Babara is totally like Starfire's new sister!

Also I saw Young Justice as well! I was really impressed watching. Their Robin is hilarous, though I'm gonna miss our fearless, spot 't wait to see what the rest of the Titans look like (and hopefully will actually have some BBRae this time around!) And who knows, maybe a brave soul with write a cross over fic combine both series!"

_Speaking of crossovers, Star of Airdrie is writing an amusing story where the Titans from the comics meet the Titans from the show. My favorite line so far is when comic book Starfire sees TV Raven meditating: "That's Raven?" she asks. Send her a message, encourging her to finish what is a hilarious story._

And finally, a late review for chapter 8:

**Novus Ordo Seclorum** - "Though I am woefully and regrettably behind, I must pause to applaud you in this work, particularly this chapter. It definitely threw me for a loop. I have to admit that I was not expecting the witch they were chasing to be a mere golem (a la Inuyasha.) That characteristic alone sent me reeling. When you topped it all off with a slipshod suicide by extension cord? Well, let me just say you really know how to charm a guy. That was awesome!

I can only stand back in awe of what you are creating here. You have been putting quality over quantity and it really shows. Your writing has an entirely new voice to it and osme of your similes and metaphors have been absolutely spot on and undeniably meaningful. The characterization has been spot on and the storyline itself continues to grow and evolve into something new... an uncharted territory is very hard to find these days.

I look forward to catching up with the crowd and delving further into what has already proven to be a beautifully woven tale of love and despair."

_Thanks! I lie awake at night wondering "How am I going to top this chapter."_

_Also, I got the golem idea from Negima! (where else?). Sometimes I think Raven and Negi should meet._


	15. Welcome to Zurich

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Yes friends, I do. This news is not glorious, for Arella Roth … is Raven's mother."

The Batcave fell silent as Starfire's revelation finished echoing throughout the cavernous hideout. Dick stared at his fiancé incredulously. Bruce stroked his chin before nodding at Barbara, who resumed typing on her console.

"How do you know of this Starfire?" The Dark Knight asked. "The Justice League has been trying to discover the identity of Raven's mother for years."

Dick gave Bruce an annoyed look.

"Is there anything you guys don't stick your nose into?"

Without betraying any contrition he replied.

"She was perceived as a threat Dick. We knew she was half demon, but we didn't know which demon was her father. We had hoped that maybe her mother would be able to enlighten us. But it was a fruitless search. Zatanna and Dr. Fate tried her best, and many others helped them, but your magical teammate proved to be an enigma. To be honest we are surprised that you took her in so readily on your team."

Dick felt a slight shiver go down his spine upon hearing those words. He knew that Raven had it rough growing up, being told that she was evil and born to do terrible things. He also recalled her words when she was asked to join their informal group. She had warned them that they might not like her if they knew who more about her.

It explained so much about the poor girl. From the first day she had put on the façade of being strong and independent, when in reality she felt forsaken. While others saw her as a monster, deep down she was a lonely girl, who wanted to be loved and to have a family.

"Raven is more than a teammate. She's my friend, my sister. I love her, we all do. And she loves us. We're a family Bruce, but I think that's something you and your friends in the Justice League would never understand."

"Then maybe you should enlighten us. You should come and make your case for membership. I already told you that there is interest in having the Titans join the league."

Robin frowned as he replied.

"We're not interested in being Junior members Bruce. We're not sidekicks. Not anymore."

"We are aware of that Dick; these would be full membership invitations. Think about it, it could be advantageous."

"I found her record." Barbara interrupted.

The others gathered around the still costumed Batgirl and gazed at the giant screen, which displayed a picture of a woman with slight Asian features, violet hair and a Chakra stone in her forehead.

"She doesn't look like Raven, except for the hair color. Are you sure about this Starfire?"

The princess nodded.

"Yes Richard. Raven told me about her mother shortly after Trigon's defeat. She said that she last saw her in Azarath, but that it had only been a vision at the time. Arella probably lives there still, as Raven restored Azarath just as she restored Earth after vanquishing her father. She told me that she was never close to her mother and that she was raised in the monastery on Azarath. She did not speak of it, but even I could tell that it pained her that her own mother rejected her and sent her off to be raised by the monks."

"The report doesn't say much about Arella. It is believed that Arella Roth was merely an alias she took when she became involved with the Trigon cult. There's very little information on her since she was perceived to be a very minor player in the organization. It's interesting that Trigon chose her to be his daughter's mother, since Arella was … well … unremarkable." Barbara added.

"She was a vessel to Trigon, nothing more." Bruce added. "Merely someone to be used, which is unsurprising given who he is."

Starfire looked troubled as she sat thoughtfully, staring into the void.

"I am unsure of how Raven will react to this news. She claims to be detached from her mother, but I remain skeptical of that claim."

"I think that she should know. If she doesn't learn that from us she might discover it in Europe." Dick added.

Starfire nodded her agreement, but her heart was heavy as yet another burden would be added to the many unfortunate truths that hung over Raven. The princess felt a wave of sorrow wash over her for her friend. Raven's life was one big tragedy, one she couldn't seem to escape. She had finally found some personal happiness and once again life was conspiring to spoil that for her as well. Starfire was no stranger to personal tragedy and suffering, but she had been able to put that behind her. Yet for some reason the Fates had different plans for Raven. The Tamaranian felt humbled by the bravery the gray girl had shown throughout her life. Nevertheless it wasn't fair, what did the universe have against Raven? For what great sin was she being punished?

"Yes Richard, we shall tell her in the morning."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The business jet roared its way into the gray Gotham sky, its engines roaring in defiance against Earth's gravitational pull. The Logans sat in their seats, their safety belts latched across their laps. They were once again disguised with their holorings, this time as a middle aged black couple, Harold and Martha Bryant as their undercover passports identified them.

Starfire's concerns had been warranted as the news of Arella's past affair with Andreas had unnerved her. The news had shed some light on his real age, which was now estimated to be in his late 30's. Raven couldn't stop thinking about her mother's younger indiscretions. She could not help overlook the irony of the situation. Raven, a demoness, was still a virgin on her wedding night while her mother had been an easy floozy. It did not escape Raven's mind that had her father not succeeded in seducing her mother she would never have been conceived and thus never been born. She could only imagine her mother's horror when the midwife handed her the newborn gray skinned monster that had been gestating in her womb for 9 months.

Raven's mind began to play games with her and she wondered if it would have been better if she had never been born at all, as she all too often found the weight of existence to be overwhelming. She had hoped and believed that after she had dispatched her father to the netherworld that she might be able to live a semi-normal life.

But that was not to be. She glanced over at her disguised spouse, who was already asleep even as the jet continued to climb to its final cruising altitude. She knew that if she was "normal" they would be at home in Jump City, still asleep in their bed. But they weren't normal, not by a long shot. Still she couldn't help but feel that like the tailor Motel in 'Fiddler on the Roof' that she too was entitled to some happiness in her life.

She took Beast Boy's hand in her own and squeezed it. It was plainly self evident to her that no one else could take his place at her side. She knew that if this mission failed she would eventually lose him, whether to death or another woman. Either way she would be devastated and she even doubted her own survival after such an ordeal.

Failure was not an option. She would fight for what was rightfully hers and not allow anyone to snatch it from her, not even her father.

Their plane was scheduled to land around midnight in Zurich and they would make their first visit that very night. She considered meditating but knew it would blow her cover so she abstained. The flight attendant, once again it was Lisa Ashmore, asked Raven if she would like her to prepare sleeping berths for them, which Raven accepted. The stewardess quickly converted a couch in the living room area of the cabin into a bed. Raven roused Beast Boy after which they moved to the bed and settled in. With his arm draped around her she closed her eyes and relaxed. For a brief moment she was glad to have been born, until sleep finally overcame her.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Beast Boy and Raven stepped out of airport terminal into the chilly Zurich nighttime, disguised as a Japanese couple, an identity they adopted after passing through customs and immigration. Beast Boy wasn't an empath but he could sense Raven's paranoia and agreed with her to switch disguises in the restroom. They saw a young Japanese couple step into the men's and lady's rooms and followed them in, performing their holographic transformation inside a stall, turning into their clones even matching their clothes. They emerged quickly and discretely, making sure to remain hidden from the couple they were copying. Beast Boy understood that if anyone was following them, they wouldn't realize they had given them the slip until it was too late.

The one thing Raven did not want to do was teleport, since teleportation could be detected by another sorcerer. She wanted to blend in and disappear and for that reason they stepped into a taxi cab, handing the driver the written address of their destination. The address too was a decoy, located a few blocks from their true destination as she was leaving nothing to chance. Once they reached the safe house they would be able to relax and forget about playing the cat and mouse game they might be in.

After 10 minutes the taxi dropped them off at the decoy site, a small hotel. Beast Boy paid the driver and they waited for him to leave, after which they picked up their luggage, which was small and light, and walked off into the darkness.

Four blocks later they reached their true destination. It was large house, modern looking but otherwise unremarkable. They approached the front door and rang the doorbell, which was answered almost immediately by a stern looking but very attractive blond woman who addressed them in German.

"Do you have any idea of how late it is?"

Raven replied, also in German.

"I apologize, but our flight was late."

The woman smiled upon hearing the password, and welcomed them into the house.

"You will be safe here." The woman switched to English. "The others have arrived and are waiting in the living room. How is everyone back at Amorista Lane? I haven't been there in years."

"They send their regards, Miss?"

"Where are my manners? I'm Helga Ratzlaff, I'm the vice-chairman of the Zurich Magic Association."

Raven and Beast Boy removed their holorings and resumed their natural forms and dress. The Swiss witch stared at Beast Boy. The changeling was accustomed to stares, he knew that people weren't used to seeing a green man with pointed ears and fangs and it had stopped bothering him a long time ago. Much to his surprise Miss Ratzlaff blushed.

"Please forgive me for staring; I didn't realize that Mr. Logan was so handsome."

Raven smiled back at her.

"Don't worry; I've learned to deal with the fan girls who are always hounding him, especially the Japanese ones." Raven replied with a smile.

Helga led them into the house's living room. There were several people there, who were already standing and waiting for them. Like Miss Ratzlaff they were all attired in elegant but ordinary civilian clothes. An elderly gentleman, dressed in a business suit, stepped forward.

My Name is Tomas Kuether, and I am your host. Welcome to Zurich. May I offer you any refreshment? A glass of wine perhaps? Or would you like something to eat?"

"A glass of wine would be nice." Raven replied. Beast Boy nodded his agreement and Kuether poured the drinks himself. He then proceeded to introduce the Logans to the other wizards present.

"I am the chairman of the Zurich Magic Association." He informed them after offering them a seat on one of the couches. "We have had many dealings with Andreas Zweig and his family over the centuries."

"Is there any special we should know about him?" Raven asked.

"He is a cunning foe, and is not above fighting dishonorably." An older woman named Elfreide replied. "He is not afraid of using dark magic."

Another wizard noticed Beast Boy's pendant.

"We see that you have become your wife's Ministra Magi, a good move in my opinion." The wizard commented. "Andreas rarely fights alone, but you will have to be quick when dealing with his henchman."

"Who works with him?" Beast Boy asked.

"There is a Japanese woman name Hiromi Ayase. She is well versed in Japanese magic and heavily uses talismans. Also expect to face all sorts of golems. Andreas is a coward and will avoid confronting you directly."

"What sorts of golems?" Raven asked.

"All kinds, some are solid, made of dirt, rocks, ice, even concrete. Others are not. I've personally faced off against golems made of mud, water and even fire."

Another witch interrupted.

"Ayase has been known to summon Japanese demons. These of course should not be problem for you Miss Raven. In fact they might even obey you."

"Maybe." Raven replied. "I've faced off against Japanese demons before, and they didn't obey me."

"Does this guy have a weakness?" Beast Boy asked.

Kuether's expression looked apologetic.

"None that we are aware of. Our dealings with him have been few, as he knows our association is strong and he stays away from Zurich. But tomorrow you will travel to Budapest. Our Hungarian cousins have clashed with him more than we have. They opposed his family during World War II and he still seeks revenge against them."

"Do you know what connection, if any, he has to my parents?"

"Do not believe the rumors that he was your mother's lover Raven. He has been spreading that canard for years. Your mother was young and naïve when she was lured into Trigon's cult and your father used powerful magic to seduce her. I have met your mother and contrary to popular wisdom she is a woman of good character. It's not unusual for a woman of good upbringing to be misled by an evil sorcerer."

Raven nodded her head.

"I understand, I've experienced that first hand …"

"With Malchior. Yes, we heard about that. He is very powerful Raven, and we are very proud of how you defeated him."

"He played me like a fool." Raven replied morosely. "He almost destroyed me emotionally, I was lucky that Gar was there to save me." She added as she took his hand.

"Raven my dear; you have no idea of how happy the world's magical communities are that you found your true love." Kuether replied as he smiled at Beast Boy. "And you know that you can count on everyone's help in defeating Andreas and breaking the curse."

"Thank you, thank you friends, your support means so much to us."

Kuether nodded his head sympathetically.

"As for your father, it is true, Andreas is his disciple, and when you vanquished Trigon you cut off a major source of Andreas' power. It is unfortunate that he was successful in striking you with the curse. The entire community across the continent has searched diligently for a counter course, we even recruited the help of shamans, and mages from Asia and Africa, but so far none has been found."

The meeting continued for another hour, consisting mostly of small talk and socializing. Just as at Amorista Lane the Zurich Magic Association clearly held Raven in high regard. They also asked Beast Boy to demonstrate his natural powers, which deeply impressed the assembled wizards. They also cautioned him to only use his ministerial option in case of extreme emergency, but that if he did he should not hold back or show any clemency to the enemy when in that form.

Once the meeting concluded the guests departed and the Logans were shown to their room for the night. Raven asked Kuether to cast a light sleeping spell on them (she couldn't cast one on herself) which worked well as they both slept soundly through the night.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Mercedes Benz taxi pulled up to the train station and a young Germanic looking couple emerged from the cab. The female paid the driver and the taxi took off in search of its next fare.

The train station was like most stations in Europe, a mixture of the old and the modern. Its marble façade was the original one as the Swiss had remained neutral during the last world war and had escaped its ravages. The couple entered the building carrying their luggage and headed straight for platform 12 to board the train to Budapest. They passed through the security checkpoint without incident and stopped at a shop to purchase a lunch to take with them on the train as the young man was unsure there would be vegetarian meals available on the train. They stopped at an Italian take out shop where they purchased two meatless pasta dishes to go.

The station was crowded and Raven couldn't help but feel they were being watched. She kept staring into the crowd but only saw people coming and going. Her nervousness did not go unnoticed by the disguised changeling.

"Someone's watching us Rae. I can feel it too; my animal senses are going nuts."

The two Titans scanned the flowing crowds in the train station as they made their way to platform 12, making frequent stops to purchase various items and surveying the crowds each time.

Meanwhile a mysterious figure was perched up in the rafters; a sinister grin adorned her face as she watched the two heroes repeatedly stop and scan the crowd. She was dressed like a ninja, her white outfit blended in perfectly with the station's ceiling, making her virtually invisible.

"I have to give you credit, you know I'm here. There is no point in deferring this any longer."

She reached into a small satchel that was draped around her shoulder and pulled out a stack of Japanese talismans, each made of delicate rice paper and adorned with mysterious kanji characters. With a flick of her wrist she spread them out fan like in her hand; each rectangular talisman was suddenly stiff as if made of steel and looked as deadly as a dagger. She drew her hand behind her head as she prepared to throw the paper amulets.

"Talismans, talismans, we seek revenge. Destroy our enemies, bring them to an end."

With a swift motion the paper rectangles were sent flying towards the Logans.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Cliffhanger! The first showdown has begun!

The hits and reviews continue to pile in! This story might pass The Wild Man's Journey as my most popular. Thanks everyone!

**Felling** - "Very very good. I'm impressed. Update soon. ~"

_Thanks! It's always nice to hear from a new reader._

**crazynerd** - "As always I bow to your feet. I love the intimacy that Rae and bb have, you describe it so well that u could actually feel the love.

Love this chapter. Great work you always amaze me "

_Thanks! Sometimes I fear that my love scenes are too saccharine._

**still too old for this** - "Short, but to the point. Nice background, nice family. Wish I had a daughter so I could forbid her from seeing him. OK, so we have a family of dark magicians that owns property all over the continent.

Something tells me this will not be good.

Nice to hear that Rob and Star are compatible together. Couldn't believe he wouldn't check. (Loved the 'when the mommy and daddy love each other' line, classic and always fun).

Enjoying the story very much. Until next time."

_Andreas is a baddie, but I still need to develop him some more. He deserves to have some depth._

**xXCanaryXx** - "Oh no! Arella and Andreas were friends and maybe even lovers! :O This is a shocking twist to the story! (But.. yu are good at that ;P) Oh great! Maybe Rae and BB are gonna hav to change their plans to go see Andreas undercover. Looks like Arella might need to be payed a visit! Oh, so excited! Oh, i might not be able to leave to many reviews soon, im goin to a special writing class, audition is Sunday. Also goin to a special after school activity my teacher recommended i do. So im gonna be jam packed and need more sleep and energy. Ill try my best to review every chapter! :D

Great as usual! :D

Glad you like my demon theory! :)"

_I decided to atone Arella in this chapter. I like having things not be so cut and dry. Information isn't always 100% accurate._

**AllYourWafflesBelongToMe** - "OOH, more about Andreas! And you included bits of Robin's past too! (He PUNCHED Batman? 0_0) Nobody really writes about HIS past much. And Andreas having a connection with Raven's mom?

Whoa...this is a LOT of stuff to take in! It makes me want to read the next chapter even more and it's a good thing you try to update at least once a week because the suspense is killing me! And thanks to this chapter, I feel like I'm in another of my trademark sugar-rushes. This story's so exciting! :D AAaaaaahhhh!

Mom: *sigh* You're having another sugar rush, aren't you?

Me: OH HELL YEAH! *running around in circles, with Fifi the purple imaginary bear WHO CAN FLY and also loves tuna.*

Mom: *mumbling* Great, looks like we have to go on another trip to the mental insti-

Me:THE WHAT?

Mom: Nothing, dear."

_The Batman episode is called "Old Wounds", where Dick tells Tim Drake how he broke up with Batman. And yes, Robin/Dick does hit Batman as he quits for good (with Batgirl as a witness). At the end of the episode Nightwing decides to bury the hatchet and reconcile with Bruce._

**wolfenstien** - "The internet is is finally talking to me once more... Great chapters dude, I think you did the Bat-clan nicely... And I watched the pilot of Young Justice, nicely done but I sure hope they have some of our favourite Titans in, especially since it's got the origional Robin..."

_It would be fun to see a cameo reunion of the Titans in that show._

**The Cretan** - "Here we go, some backstory on Andreas. This chapter was good with the introspection and detail. Your ability to weave a plot makes me sometimes wonder if you ain't Spiderman. I am but a fly stuck in the web. Can't wait to read more.

On a side note, do you think you might try your hand at a crossover sometime?"

_I actually have two crossover stories: A Leap of Faith and A Spoon Full of Sugar_

**almostinsane** - "Great chapter! I loved the BBxRae moment. It must be nice for them to sleep in each others' arms.

Anyway, so Raven IS aging! That makes sense! They better kick Andreas' ass and remove the curse soon. Thanks for writing this. God bless!"

_Now, now, I never said she was aging._

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "WHAT THE FOCK! Andreas and Raven's mum Arella? Now that's focked up. Anyways I think when Arella intro'd Andreas to the Cult of Trigon it lead to her and Raven's downfall, not on purpose though but yeah back then Arella being impressionable and also her family being focked up and not giving Arella the moral foundations and hence she went wayward when she joined the cult of Trigon, You can say Maternal Grandparents are focked, they did gave Arella love, compassion and concern if you read the comics, The Roths were pretty Christian Talibans xD"

_Let's just say that Raven doesn't attend any family reunions._

**Eikyuu the Jellykage** - "Dude... This is awesome! The plotline is well written and sturdy so far, and with slight adaptation could pass as a good novel. I also quite like that Babs hasn't gotten Oracle-d yet, and that she's not draping herself all over Robin, as she is in some stories. Keep up the good work!

P.S. Nice pen name."

_Thanks! I have been trying to improve my work._

**titanfan45** - "Andreas and Arella, interesting, wonder how that affects things. I'm thinking that all of the Viscounts that "disappeared" were in fact Andreas as his kind would likely find a way to live for centuries."

_That's an interesting idea! Maybe he's a vampire? _

**GreenRock** - "A nice read for a quiet, snowy, December evening.

I think this kind of chapter is the calm before the storm.

We've kind of taken a step back from the action-y, pulse-pounding, hundred mile an hour combat scenes that have been layered with theorizing after theorizing . . . to a subtle, calming piece of prose that gets the masses ready for the upcoming events. I'm sure the sudden punch in the gut is looming.

The sudden sharp swerve at the end with the revelation that Arella and Andreas are connected will probably not settle well with a certain purple-haired empath; we shall wait and see.

But until that time comes, you should be very proud of the work you have created so far and I'm more than certain that the rest to come will be just as fantastic as the previous chapters and your previous works.

Keep and the good work here and keep it up with Ganguro too."

_I think we have really kicked Ganguro up a notch lately. If any of my faithful readers have not been reading it I strongly suggest that you do. Our collective pen name is ZorkaberryPie._

**FelynxTiger** - "Holy Molly! Arella? OMG Now i didn't spect that , The story can't stop to be stupendous and so so SUPER! u take Raven and BeastBoy's moment super smoothy and sweet just as add the part of Richard and Bruce , normally in movies or others fanfiction u can guess what is going to happen but here? huh here u can unleash more emotions that in nevermore , XD See ya next (and i can guess awesome)chapter "

_Arella and Andreas was just a red herring. Even the Justice League makes mistakes._

**Anon** - "Yay! Chapter update! Okay my harsh opinion of Robin has abated somewhat thanks to your giving him the birds and bees line to Tim. That was hilarious. So we have more dirt on our Big Bad and I gotta say...Raven's mommy is a hoochie! Getting it on with Big Bad AND Trigon! Sow those wild oats woman! So does this mean we might see some half-siblings? Don't keep us waiting too long."

_The half sibling idea is tempting, but we already ruled out any offspring for Andreas._


	16. Raven, meet Hiromi

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Beast Boy stared into the crowd on platform 12, searching for something that might seem out of place. It was a cold day and while the station had a roof to shield the platforms from the elements it was completely open on the side where the tracks entered the depot. The only thing he saw was a tide of overcoats, shielding their bundles from the frigid late autumn air. No one stood out and he grunted his displeasure over his lack of success.

Their train was scheduled to leave in 15 minutes and the Swiss always ran their trains on schedule. The train was filing quickly with travelers, who took their seats as the conductors checked their tickets. The platform was a veritable frenzy of activity, feeling as random as the dance of molecules in the air, a ballet of ordered chaos, seemingly disorganized and yet rife with purpose and objective.

By this point the hairs on the back of the changeling's neck were standing on end, which Raven immediately noticed. She also heard a guttural growl form in his chest as he turned to her and their eyes locked. She noticed his ears twitch, as if they were being tickled.

"Gar, what's wr…"

Raven never completed her sentence. His arm shot out and snatched her wrist so tightly that Raven yelped in pain. Her discomfort increased as with a swift and powerful movement he yanked her arm with such vigor that for a split second she wondered if it had been dislocated. As she crashed into him she heard the sound of an object whizzing past her head, followed by a dull click on the ground, which was followed by dozens more clicks, which sounded like a staccato symphony.

Raven whirled around and saw the dozens of paper talismans, still rigid as steel, impacted in the train station's marble floor, standing like soldiers at attention, motionless and rigid. It dawned on her that if one of them had struck her it would have gone straight through her body and killed her on the spot.

The two heroes redirected their attention upward, seeking the source of the attack. Raven saw her first, still perched in the rafters, like a spider in her lair ready to pounce down upon the victim trapped in her web.

"It's time to take off the gloves Gar!" The sorceress roared as she disabled her holoring, revealing her white cape and leotard clad figure. Without releasing the white ninja from her gaze she shot into the air heading straight for the mysterious woman.

"Wait for me Rae!" Beast Boy shouted as he also deactivated his disguise. The platform remained crowded with travelers who mostly remained unaware of the attack that had just occurred. Suddenly the ground began to tremble violently and panic ensued inside the station. The sound of glass breaking and wood snapping echoed throughout the station as the trains swayed on their tracks as if dancing to a waltz.

Beast Boy watched Raven close in on the ninja who began to attack her with Asian martial arts weapons which she easily fended off. He smiled as he knew that Raven would easily overwhelm the mysterious attacker who would soon be captured. Meanwhile the temblors intensified, and people began to fall down while the walkways oscillated as if they were made of rubber. Suddenly every spot where the papers had impacted began to crack and appeared to erupt. In his unmitigated horror the changeling saw a demon emerge from each crater.

These demons emitted a foul stench and were covered in ooze, their appearance could only be described as revolting and nauseating and Beast Boy had to clench his teeth to suppress the gag reflex that made him feel like throwing up. It was more than the stench that nauseated him as he could feel the pure evil that emanated from the otherworldly interlopers. By comparison Slade's emotional aura felt like that of a child. One thing he did recognize immediately was that these monsters were Japanese demons; he hadn't read his collection of manga for nothing. And the Japanese demons were huge, standing over 20 feet tall.

With the arrival of demonic brigade the panic on the platform had now become a full blown pandemonium as people dropped everything and fled for their lives, trampling each other in their flight to safety. The demons turned and directed their fury at the fleeing travelers, attacking them mercilessly and quickly delivering mortal blows to the helpless travelers.

Beast Boy instinctively morphed into a Tyrannosaurus Rex, charging into the demon that was closest to him. The creature drew a vile looking sword and swung it at the green dinosaur. Beast Boy deftly caught the sword in his jaws and snapped it into three pieces with a powerful bite, the blade disintegrating as it fell to the ground. He recalled the advice they received the day before, to show no restraint when fighting the enemy's minions. With lightning speed he lashed out at the demon, biting in it the neck. The otherworldly monster wailed in pain and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

_One down … a whole bunch more to go._

Several demons redirected their efforts from the civilians and refocused their attack on the dinosaur. They surrounded him and drew their weapons, their evil intent was self evident, as they were not there to take prisoners. A great horned demon charged first, swinging his vile blade which the changeling once again caught in his jaws and snapped. This demon was prepared and Beast Boy was unable to bite him in the neck, and they began to struggle with each other. Seeing the opportunity two more demons attacked with their own blood stained weapons ready. One had a large battle ax and the other spear, which they trained on the T-Rex. Morphing into a hummingbird he dodged the attack. The spear pierced the first demon in the chest while the ax swung around and hit the lancer in the neck, severing its head. Both demons were mortally wounded and disappeared into a greasy cloud of smoke. The third demon, with a stupid look of confusion plastered on his stupid face searched in vain for the changeling, who morphed into a brachiosaurus and came crashing down on the demon, ending its evil existence.

Meanwhile up in the rafters the ninja proved to be an elusive and cunning foe who came close a few times to striking a deadly blow against the sorceress. Fortunately for Raven her shields were always in place at the right time, deflecting the flying daggers and spinning stars her opponent threw at her. The demoness's fury grew as the battle ensued and she soon turned the tables on her attacker, who found herself retreating from the red eyed sorceress. She then drew more talismans from her pouch and flung them at Raven.

"Talismans, talismans! Help me escape!" She shouted as she threw three talismans in Raven's direction. The missed the sorceress but stuck to the trusses that held up the roof, erupting into fiery blaze. Raven shielded herself from the supernatural flames, which burned with an unnaturally intense heat. She knew that the roof would not be able to withstand the inferno and would quickly collapse trapping everyone still in the station in a fiery and deadly oven.

"Flet, une vente! Flans saltatio pulverea! Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven roared over the flames. A hurricane like gust of course wind appeared out of nowhere and extinguished the flames. Clearly shocked the female ninja retreated abruptly, in a vain attempt to escape.

Raven closed in and trapped the Ninja with her dark energy. She leaped upon the subdued woman, wrapping her hand around her throat while her 4 demonic eyes glowed menacingly.

"You will pay for what you have done to us. When I'm done with you, you will wish you have never been born!" Raven snarled at the woman in deep guttural tone.

"You are your father's daughter Raven. He would be proud of you." The woman croaked as Raven's choke hold remained firmly in place.

"I am nothing like my father."

"Of course you are, look at your choice of mate. A mere mortal unworthy of you Raven, just like your father's choice Arella. Did he ever tell you why he chose her?"

"His reasons are irrelevant, just as you are."

"He chose her for the same reason you chose the green idiot: pure carnal desire."

Raven stared dispassionately at the woman as she used her dark energy to rip off her ninja head covering.

"Don't assume that I am anything like you, Hiromi Ayase."

Raven tightened her grip around the woman's neck, yet the Japanese sorceress continued to grin.

"Or is that like you he is a half breed, and you lust for the animal in him like a dog in heat?" She continued to taunt Raven.

"He's far more human than you ever could be and is more man than you could ever handle, bitch." Raven snapped back at her.

At this point Ayase was having trouble breathing.

"I think that you might want to look at what's happening below." She whispered.

Raven did look down upon the station platforms and gasped at what she saw. The state of destruction was astounding and overwhelming. The trains at their platforms were derailed and smashed. There were countless bodies of civilians lying on the ground, motionless, probably dead. But Raven felt a pang of terror in her heart when she saw a green T-Rex surrounded by about 30 demons. Her grip on Hiromi's neck loosened and the woman was finally able to draw a deep breath.

"You'd better go save your idiot of a husband, half breed." The ninja croaked a laugh.

Raven back fisted the woman across the jaw, knocking her out cold and after leaving her on a ledge in the rafters she flew down to her spouse's side. The changeling resumed his human form. Raven noticed that he had a few cuts on his face and arms.

"We're heavily outnumbered."

"I say we go magi on them!" The changeling roared.

"I fully agree." She replied.

"Adeat!" He shouted.

Beast Boys expression immediately changed. Gone was the weariness and battle fatigue which were replaced by a recharged and revitalized Beast Boy who sported a magnificent sword in his right hand. Without waiting for his mate he lunged forward, shouting a blood curdling battle cry. Leaping into the air he gripped the sword with both of his hands and raised it over his head. He came crashing down upon the nearest demon, a 30 foot tall brute with huge fangs and sliced its head wide open with a single strike. The monster fell to the ground and disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

Raven took her cue from her mate and became airborne. Chanting her mantra she formed an obsidian arrow and launched it at another demon, impaling it while the changeling engaged more demons, who understood that while they outnumbered the Logans that they nonetheless were outmatched and kept their distance from the changeling.

"You wanna piece of me! Well come and get it!" Beast Boy challenged the demons to attack him, knowing that the clock was running and he would soon have to surrender his ministerial powers back to Raven.

"We're running out of time Gar!"

"I have an idea! You just watch!"

The changeling performed a back flip and landed on top of a derailed Pullman car. He raised his palm to face the remaining demons, who backed away in trepidation, not knowing what to expect. With a grin on his face he chanted a spell in Latin.

"Undetriginata spiritus lucis … Sagitta magica, series lucis!"

Raven watched in pure amazement as 29 arrows of light shot out of her mate's palm, flying at lightning speed. Each one zeroed in on a target like a guided missile. The demons were helpless against the luminous arrows and each one struck deep in a of the demon's chests, destroying them all instantly. Satisfied that he had vanquished all the demons he grinned in satisfaction as Raven flew down and joined him atop the wrecked railroad car.

"Gar … that .. was amazing. Where did you learn that spell?"

"I read it in what you would call a comic book Rae."

"A comic book? You mean one of those manga books you read?"

He nodded his affirmation.

"That was so cool, I felt like I was Negi Springfield."

Raven didn't know whether to chastise him for using an unproven spell made up by a Japanese Mangaka or to congratulate him on his ingenuity. It was then that they heard the sirens in the distance, drawing closer to the station. Raven looked up into the rafters and saw that Hiromi was gone.

"Time to revert I guess. Abeat!"

The changeling returned to his injured, non magical form.

"Well, at least we can drop the whole undercover business. Andreas knows we're here."

She noticed that Beast Boy looked a bit pale and he suddenly lost his balance and fell to his knees. It was only then that she saw that he was dripping blood onto the floor. Dashing behind him she gasped as she saw that there was a large wound on his back, which was soaked in his own blood. She caught him under his harms and carefully lowered him to the floor. She immediately began to apply her blue healing light while she felt her heart leap into her throat. He lost consciousness as the first responders entered what was left of the train station.

The first thing Beast Boy felt when he woke up was a dull ache in his back. His memory was foggy and the cobwebs in his mind were stubborn. At first he thought he was back home as the lavender scent of Raven's perfume filled his nostrils. He opened his eyes but the room was too dark to see anything. He then felt something move next to him. Before he could get his mouth to obey his commands and speak he felt a small, silky smooth hand caress his stubble covered cheek.

"How do you feel Gar?" She asked in her signature monotone.

He reached out and pulled her into a hug, which she reciprocated.

"I've been better. Where are we?"

"We're back at the safe house. Every mage in Switzerland is standing guard in case Hiromi gets any bright ideas."

The changeling groaned as he tried to sit up.

"Ow! What happened to me?"

"One of those demons wounded you and with the adrenaline rush you didn't even notice. You lost a lot of blood."

"What time is it?" He muttered.

"4 AM. As soon as we got back I put you into a healing trance, you've been out for over 18 hours."

"I'm hungry."

"That's a good sign." She remarked with hint of relief. "I'll make you some breakfast when we get up."

The changeling sighed.

"I guess we can forget about surprising Andreas. So what do we do now?"

"Tomas has convoked a conference to deal with Andreas. He went too far in sending Hiromi to attack the train station like that. Mages and Wizards from all over Europe will be arriving tomorrow."

"Sounds like a big confab."

"It is, it the first time in centuries that the bickering political factions will set aside their differences and will work together to bring an end to the Von Zweig dynasty once and for all. I also contacted the Tower. The rest of the team is on their way here. I was wrong in insisting that we do this alone."

"Are you serious? You were wrong?" He teased her.

"This is no time for joking Gar; everything is dangling from a thread. Our only hope is to capture Andreas and make him break the spell."

Ignoring the shooting pain in his back the changeling sat up in the bed. Even in his confused state he understood clearly that they had failed, there would be no catching Andreas off guard. He didn't need to have the mages in the living room tell him that the rules of the game had changed and they were now on a different mission.

This was war now, and either they took it to Andreas or he would bring it to them. Either way it was going to get ugly.

"So who's he got on his side beside Ayase?"

"From what Tomas told me no one is really sure. There's no shortage of practitioners of dark magic, but no one seems to know how many have pledged their allegiance to him. We will have to tread carefully Gar; we have no idea of what's waiting for us in Salzburg."

"So when does the gang arrive?"

"They're already here, I can sense their presence."

Beast Boy threw the covers aside and hopped out of the bed with a heavy groan.

"We might as well go see them." He muttered unhappily.

"I suppose so." She replied. "But before that I want to talk with you about those light arrows you used." She said as she turned on the lamp on the night stand.

"What's there to say? I chanted the spell and they appeared."

Raven shook her head.

"I had my doubts that a comic book spell would really work, so I tried it. It's a dud, a bogus spell. You conjured those arrows without a spell. Very impressive I might add."

"It was your powers that did it, not mine."

"But you marshaled them to create the Sagitta Magica. And your control over them was astonishing. You fired 29 of them, simultaneously I might add, and each one hit the target. And when you did it I could feel you drawing the power from me."

He shrugged his shoulders.

"It was no big deal."

"I disagree. I can only conjure a handful of dark arrows and all they do is fly straight. You were able to control yours"

"Yeah, but I can only do it for 120 seconds. Most battles last longer than that."

"There might be a way around that Gar."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

8700 hits and 221 reviews! You guys are spoiling me!

And now for the mailbag!

**Theunstable** - "I love this series! Keep writing!

I found it very interesting when you talked about Robin's transition into Nightwing. Very interesting. Also, loved the cliffhanger! Well, love-hate. Update soon plz!"

Actually, I've been showing great restraint with cliffhangers in this story. If you don't believe me ask Novus Ordo Seclorum!

**Novus Ordo Seclorum** - "Well, Force, I finally made it. It has taken me a week, but I am glad that I have stuck around for the journey. Your eye for quality in this piece really shows. That is not to say that your previous works were haphazardly constructed by any means, but this one is simply sumptuous. You have done a great job of keeping the curse nebulous at best. It is difficult to discern what it actually is despite the few breadcrumbs you have dropped along the way. Your writing is very strong and you have incorporated many wonderful similes, metaphors, anecdotes, parables, and allegories. Very well done indeed.

It looks as though the Logans are going to hit a snag with Ayase. She seems formiable, but the fact that the Logans know someone is there watching and lying in wait should be enough to avert tragedy. I look forward to the fight scene between the two parties; it promises to be epic and memorable. Keep up the good work as always, my friend. Talk to you soon."

_I hope the battle scene met with your expectations. And we haven't seen the last of Hiromi._

**AvatarSatsuki** - "Sounds interesting, I'll definitely read on. Did you hear about the CW making a Raven show to replace Smallville next year?"

_It will be interesting to see their interpretation of Raven, if they do produce the show. I doubt she will be the violet haired, gray skinned emotionally repressed demoness we've all grown to love, but maybe I'm wrong and they get Tara Strong to play her._

**GreenRock** - "It's good to know now that Arella's association with Andreas wasn't sexually in any way, yet the door is still left open to a suggestion of a platonic relationship; that's what my gut's telling me but my gut has been wrong 90% of the time . . . except when telling me when I'm hungry.

The deviant in me cannot wait to see Hiromi dabble in her deviousness . . . and whatever she has planned for the next chapter will be particularly interesting to see.

The conclusion in this chapter has me on tenterhooks. Undoubtedly, the next chapter will be great . . . like the previous 14 chapters."

_Sorry for leading you astray. Ain't I stinker?_

**KingofRandom117** - "This chapter seems up to the bar you so highly 'em coming."

_Thanks you, I will keep trying to do my best._

**The Cretan** - "Here we go, looks like the first round's about to begin. Great cliffhanger. Personally I like cliffhangers. The buildup to a prize fight is just as the last round when taken as a whole. Wasn't expecting the part with Bats and the JL offering membership. But then again I learned long ago with you to quit looking for hints and just go with the flow. IMO noone does twists like you do. Thanks again for another awesome chapter. Sorry I never spotted those two crossovers. I'm off to read them right now. Peace."

_I see you already left a review for "A Leap of Faith". Thanks. That was my first fanfic._

**FelynxTiger** - "the way Star feels toward Raven was an interesting develop of empathy between their friendship, nice.

as for the arrive of the logans very smooth and casual the cliffhanger was mean :p good to hear bout Andreas, bet the information is an other point to our heroes but they still have to learn in real life"

_Starfire is the sister Raven never had. The annoying younger sister she never had,and the sister she loves very deeply._

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "The Titans being the League's Lapdogs? Un focken likely and so what if joining the League is advantageous? There's Politics later and it was a right thing that Dick told Bruce to F Off with the league.

And lol Hiromi casting Talismanic Golems? Screw that wait til the Gar does a Dragon Install: World Destroyer on her in The Beast mode xD "

_I was tempted to have BB go dragon in this chapter, but I resisted._

**still too old for this** - "Again, a 'nice' chapter. I particularly enjoyed the interplay between the Zurich Magic Association and Raven. Didn't realize she would be held in such high regards. Still, you beat a major demon like Trigon, you get a rep.

I admit to some uncertainty though. Traditionally, Arella is seen as a 'lost soul', someone who was taken advantage of during a time of weakness and inducted into the Trigon cult. Whereupon she was, essentially, raped, given that she had no real awareness of her situation (ie. expecting a 'god' and getting a demon). While I appreciate that the community has sympathy towards her, Batman's,the JL's (and Raven's) opinion seems unduly harsh. Still, most children do not necessarily think kindly of their parents, especially when demons are involved.

So, no wrinkles yet? And only a few grey hairs? Or does it only happen after a major magical exercise (such as BB invoking his ministerial magi abilities)?

Somewhat reminiscent of Mercedes Lackey's use of mage power in her Valdemar series, the use of major magics tends to turn hair white.

Still, I'm sure you have this all planned out. Looking forward to the next chapter.

(PS, my thanks to your complements regarding Ganguro. To say its been stepped up a notch was appreciated, I eagerly our next contestant's submission.)

Until next time my friend."

_Yeah, I would think that beating Trigon would give Raven some "cred" in the magical community._

**xXCanaryXx** - "WOAAH! OMG a cliffhanger! How dare you! :D AFter the long wait this chapter IS refreshing though. Ohh no.. the 'whatchamacallits' are gonna attack BB and Rae. I think the woman is Hiromi Ayase! Im glad that ou finally got to updating!

Cant wait 'till next chapter!"

_Your guess was right! Here is a little tidbit, I named Hiromi after two non villains in Anime/Manga: Hiromi Anzai from Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase and Yue Ayase from Negima!_

**titanfan45** - "This chapter sets up the next one perfectly. That should be a great fight scene."

_I hoped you liked the fight scene._


	17. Andreas and Hiromi

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The safe house, which was also Tomas Kuether's house, was bigger than it looked. The hallways were long and the Logans slowly made their way to the informal dining room, and that is where they found the others.

Starfire beamed when she saw them enter the room, no longer disguised and wearing their signature costumes. Cyborg was seated at the table eating copious amounts of Austrian pastries with coffee while Dick, now clad in his new Nightwing costume was chatting with Tomas and Elfreide.

The Tamaranian's expression changed when she got a closer look at her friends. While both had spent some time healing courtesy of Raven's mystical powers they still looked worse for the wear, especially the changeling. This also did not go unnoticed by the newly minted Nightwing.

"Raven, you said you guys were fine. Neither of you looks fine, especially not Beast Boy."

"We're happy to see you too, "Nightwing". I see you decided to expedite you transformation. I can't say that I'll miss the traffic light."

"Please everyone, be seated at the table. I will prepare you an American style breakfast as you must be hungry." Elfreide offered.

The Titans all sat down at the dining table. Raven peered outside into the pre dawn darkness, watching the security detail outside and almost didn't notice the young blond who entered the room.

"BB! You look awful!" The geomancer shrieked. "Robin said Raven had healed you! What happened?"

"I did heal him." The gray sorceress replied icily. "He lost a lot of blood. Even my powers have limits you know. He'll be fine in a couple of days, so quit worrying Terra."

The changeling beamed at his one time, almost girlfriend.

"Don't worry Terra, Raven's been babying me, I'm fine, really."

The geomancer gave Raven a skeptical look, clearly doubting Beast Boy's words and Raven returned one of her death glares in reply. He message to the blond was clear: back off.

"What is she doing here Ro- Nightwing? Last time I checked she wasn't a member of the team."

Nightwing held his ground even as Raven redirected her glare to him.

"After you told me what happened I figured we could use all the help we could get."

"We don't need her help!" Raven hissed in reply as Beast Boy tried to calm her down, gently stroking her back.

"No Gar, I won't back down on this! The last time I ignored my instincts regarding her and it almost cost us our lives! And besides, we'll have every mage in Europe on our side. We don't need her."

Tomas Kuether cleared his throat.

"I have bad news in that regard Raven." He interrupted apologetically. "We just received a missive from the mayor of Salzburg. He is adamant that we are not welcome in his city and that any mages who show up will be arrested."

"Like a bunch of cops could arrest you guys." Cyborg harrumphed.

"You are correct Cyborg; they would be no match for us. But the magical community of Europe has a signed a secret treaty with the European Union limiting our actions and we will not abrogate that treaty. There is a reason we are in Switzerland, in neutral non EU territory. The Swiss government has long afforded us this welcome in exchange for our protection."

"Protection?" Nightwing asked. "What do you mean?"

"Have you ever wondered why the Nazis never invaded Switzerland?" Kuether replied.

Nightwing nodded his head.

"So let me guess, the mayor of Salzburg is on the Von Zweig payroll?"

"That is what we believe, even though it has never been confirmed. In any case the official reason for banning mages from Salzburg is that the mayor wishes to prevent any disturbances …"

"What a load of …" Cyborg interrupted.

"Who precisely is banned from Salzburg?" Raven asked.

Kuether appeared hesitant to reply.

"Only members of the magic association. The missive said nothing about the Titans."

"Then it's settled, we're leaving for Salzburg today." Raven added.

Nightwing folded his arms and paced around the room. Raven had known him long enough to read his body language like a book, and she didn't like what she was reading.

"Don't tell me, you think that Gar and I are in no shape to confront Andreas."

Kuether stepped forward, offering his hands in an apologetic display.

"Do not be angry with your teammate Raven. We have been discussing this while you rested. The truth is that you and especially your husband need to rest and recover from your injuries. I mean no disrespect Raven as your healing powers are second to none, but you are in no condition to face Andreas. I also fear that until you recover that your objectivity might be compromised. I fear that you are taking this situation far too personally…"

Raven felt a surge of fury flash through her mind and while her face did not betray it, Beast Boy was able to sense it. He knew his gray mate far too well and slipped his hand behind her back in a second vain attempt to soothe her.

"Need I remind you that Andreas has placed a curse on my husband, a curse that almost claimed his life at the train station?" She replied in a dry, emotionless deadpan.

"Please Raven, do not be upset. When you are ready you will confront and defeat Andreas. But I beg you to wait until you have both recovered. It is clear that Andreas has a trap waiting for you and your friends in Salzburg."

Elfreide returned from the kitchen with a tray full of pancakes and waffles which she placed on the table. Beast Boy immediately helped himself to a stack and began to eat. Raven was about to chide him for not waiting until the discussion was over, but recalled his condition and held her tongue. She looked at Kuether before switching to Nightwing who gave her a pleading look.

"I suppose you're right." She sighed as she helped herself to some waffles. "But what do we do meanwhile?"

"Cyborg, Starfire and Terra will come with me, under disguise, to Salzburg. We'll do some reconnaissance work there and will return tomorrow night."

"Dude, will you guys be safe? You saw what happened at the train station. Hiromi is a powerful wizard, she almost killed us."

"I know." Nightwing replied. "So I had Batman contact the Justice League. They promised to send someone to help us. She's a mage from Hong Kong so she isn't covered by the ban. Her name is Li Meng and she'll round out the expeditionary team. We'll be safe Raven, don't worry, we're just going to snoop around and come back right away. Once you and Beast Boy have recovered we'll hit Andreas with everything we've got."

Raven nodded her assent

"Don't underestimate them Nightwing. We thought we were safe when she ambushed us. And speaking of that, why hasn't the Swiss government protested Austria's harboring Andreas and Hiromi?"

"The Von Zweig family wields a great deal of power in Austria. The government denies that he is anything more than a wealthy playboy." Kuether replied. "I am afraid that with the financial crisis going on that the EU government is uninterested in helping us. I have also contacted the US government and the United Nations and they also declined to intervene, saying that it is an Austrian affair. I am afraid that we are on our own at this time and are fortunate that the Justice League has offered to help."

Raven bit her lower lip and sighed.

"So when are you leaving?"

"In two hours. We're going to drive to Vienna where we will meet Miss Meng; from there we will drive on to Salzburg. We'll spend the night at a safe house there and return by tomorrow evening." Nightwing replied.

"And the two of you need to rest." Cyborg interjected while he studied a display that popped out of his arm. "You make sure to eat and rest, you got that grass stain?"

The changeling nodded.

"OK tin man, I'm feeling tired again. I guess I am ready to hit that hay."

"Good, and that goes for you too Raven, you're in worse shape than you think. Some of that Japanese magic Hiromi used on you hit closer to home than you might think."

"I guess there's no arguing with you." She replied in resignation, before turning to the Tamaranian.

"Starfire, promise me you will stop by before you leave. Wake me if I am asleep."

"Of course Raven, I will do as you ask."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The black 5 series BMW pulled up to the main entrance to the castle, which loomed over her like a stone golem, silent yet clearly threatening. A uniformed guard carrying a submachine gun approached her vehicle and she lowered her window.

"**Ah, it is you fräulein, the Master is awaiting you. Please wait while we lower the drawbridge."**

Hiromi watched stoically as the ancient drawbridge slowly came down, breaching the moat around the castle. She gazed up at the main tower and saw that the lights were on in his room. Once the bridge was secured she drove across it and parked her car in the main courtyard, where another guard was waiting for her.

"This way please." He instructed her.

"I know my way around the castle; I live here in case you have forgotten."

"Please forgive me Miss Ayase, but these are the Master's orders."

Hiromi knew that she could overpower the guard with the blink of an eye and that Andreas was well aware of that. This was merely a subtle way him expressing his displeasure with her. Of course he had other reasons to be displeased with her. In the past his image of being a playboy was just that, a front. She had been his lover, his only lover; it was an unwritten and unspoken deal between them. He had never made any promises to her, but had remained faithful to her for many years. That had suddenly changed in the past year and after some deliberation she unilaterally chose to break off the sexual relationship she had with Andreas.

He had not been happy about that but for some odd reason he had respected her decision at the time, choosing instead to indulge with as many women as was humanly possible. She had found that behavior repugnant and further reduced their relationship to one that was purely professional. They were both acolytes of Trigon and she would only continue to work with Andreas until the curse had fulfilled itself. Once that was done she was planning on ditching him. There were other groups who worshiped Raven's father and she would find a new home with one of them. She had no intention of following Evangeline's steps, she was no fool.

As she rode up the elevator by herself she recalled the first time she ever saw Andreas. She was a first year student at Tokyo University. Her father, also a Tokyo U grad, had emphasized to her since a tender age that if she wanted to be a success in life she had to attend Tokyo U. Being her parents' only child the message was hammered into her relentlessly. From as early as kindergarten she applied herself to her studies, having tutors and attending cram schools after the regular school day was done. Her grades at school were always excellent and she graduated 3rd in her class from the prestigious Urashima High School.

Everything seemed to be on track until she failed the university's legendarily difficult entrance exam. That had not gone over well in the Ayase household, where her father constantly reminded her that failure "was not an option."

So Hiromi became a ronin, a college wannabe, and signed up for a full time cram school, one of the best in the country. She would have to wait a whole year before taking the entrance exam again but the university offered mock practice exams every other month.

To her dismay she failed the first mock exam. While she knew there was still time to prepare she was beginning to doubt herself and wondered how her father would react if she failed the entrance exam a second time. He made it clear to her that he would not tolerate her being a ronin for a second year. The worry and anxiety of failing a second time gnawed at her relentlessly, to the point where she was beginning to feel ill.

She had two male friends from high school, Seiji and Kotaru, who were able to pass the exam the first time around, which surprised her as they had grades that were substantially inferior to her own. Still, she reasoned, they must know something and decided to consult with them.

At first they seemed reluctant and hesitant to take Hiromi in their confidence. In her desperation she offered them sex in exchange for their help. This of course changed their minds and they brought Hiromi under their wing. After a few rolls in the hay they asked Hiromi to meet them in an old part of town, at an abandoned Shinto shrine.

It was there that Hiromi was introduced to magic.

It went without saying that she aced the remaining mock exams and passed the entrance exam the following the following year. Her father was immensely pleased and her past failures were all but forgotten. He purchased a brand new sports car for her and paid for a trip to Hawaii for her and a few of her female classmates. All was forgiven and he would never know the secret of how she had passed the entrance exam.

She broke off contact with her lecherous classmates once she passed the exam. Her curiosity about magic had been awakened though. And that was when she met Andreas.

Hiromi had a few western classmates at Urashima high school, mostly exchange students. The foreign lads were fawned over by her classmates and she never got to know them. Socially she had been a shy girl in high school and she kept to herself. She often wondered why her classmates made such a fuss over the exchange students, as in her opinion they weren't really all that handsome. Yet her classmates behaved as if they were all Hollywood movie stars, even conferring the title of "Prince" on the suave boy from Mexico.

Hiromi also knew that she was no beauty queen. She was unusually tall for a Japanese girl and had virtually no bust to speak of. Her saving grace was that she had a cute face, but since she was taller than most of the boys none of them would have anything to do with her.

Andreas was different though. He was handsome enough to be a movie star. She would never forget that day. It was the first day of the semester and she had arrived early to the Japanese Feudal History class and was sitting at the back of the class, reading the same book that Raven would acquire many years later at the small bookstore, the book about Brushogan.

She saw Andreas enter the classroom out of the corner of her eye. He was surrounded by several pretty girls, none of which were in the class. They kept handing him their phone numbers and pestering him for a date.

She watched the scene for a few seconds before refocusing on her book. As she read she heard someone walk up next to her. As she looked up she was unable to conceal her look of surprise, as it was the blond gaijin god.

"Do you believe in magic?" He asked her in perfect, accent free Japanese.

Hiromi looked up at him, deliberating for a few seconds on what to reply.

"As a matter of fact I do." She replied in a firm and confident voice.

Andreas smiled.

"So do I." He replied as he extended his hand in the western style of greeting. "My name is Andreas Von Zweig. We're going to be classmates. Would you mind if I sat next to you?"

From that very instant Hiromi belonged to Andreas. They became lovers within less than a month and were soon exploring Japanese magic together. It was immediately obvious to Hiromi that Seiji and Kotaru were amateurs compared to Andreas and she was awed by him. During the next four years while they continued to work on their degrees at Tokyo University he trained her to be a sorceress and she became quite adept. Their love life also continued unabated and she wondered if he would ask her to marry him. That of course never happened. Instead, as their graduation approached he introduced her to the cult of Trigon, and after pledging herself to the interdimensional demon her powers grew even more ominous.

The day after the graduation ceremony she disappeared with Andreas. It was the last time her parents ever saw or heard from her. There were rumors that she had gone to the United States, but they never found her. She remained hidden in Metropolis while Andreas recruited more members to the cult of Trigon while he was a graduate student at the local University. He befriended a woman who called herself Arella and set her up with a friend. It was only later that Hiromi learned that the "friend" was a temporarily incarnation of Trigon, who impregnated the woman with his daughter.

Hiromi had been furious with Andreas for not choosing her to carry the Master's child, but soon redirected her displeasure to Arella herself. When Raven had been born she decided to let it go. She was the Gem that would usher in a new era, the Age of Trigon, and they would reign with him.

That is, until the ingrate daughter betrayed her father. Hiromi's displeasure with Raven knew no bounds and she remained convinced that had she been the Gem's mother things would have turned out differently.

The elevator door popped open, revealing Andrea's brooding figure. The two locked eyes and said nothing for a minute.

"We have failed the Master." He broke the silence.

She nodded.

"She has taken him as his Ministra Magi. I have never seen a minister so powerful. He conjured 29 Sagitta Magica and vanquished my demons."

"It is unfortunate that we cannot use the fire demons against them, but for some reason they are loyal to her. She has their obedience." He added.

"Then all is lost." She muttered. "It is only a matter of time before they come to Salzburg. What are we going to do? We cannot defeat them. We won't get another chance to surprise them."

"It is unfortunate that your surprise attack failed. I saw video footage on the news. The train station was demolished. The Prime Minister was unhappy with that. The Swiss Ambassador is demanding that we be handed over. I had to offer to make anonymous restitution to the Swiss government but they still want us arrested."

Hiromi hung her head.

"I have displeased our Master and dishonored him. I will take my life to atone for my ..."

Andreas shook his head.

"The Japanese obsession with ritual suicide will never cease to puzzle me. The dead cannot correct their mistakes Hiromi."

"And neither can the living. We are no match for them Andreas. It's over, we have lost."

"No Hiromi, it is not. We became weak when we parted from each other. We can remedy that."

"What are you saying Andreas?" She asked with a hint of disbelief in her voice.

"Come back to me Hiromi."

"You cannot be serious. I gave you almost 20 years of my life and you tossed me aside like an old rag. And then you replaced me with mindless whores. Why should I take you back?"

"Because together we will become powerful enough to defeat them. You know that our power will multiply if we once again become mates."

"And you will throw me away again once that goal is achieved."

"No, I will not. I have learned the error of my ways Hiromi, I am incomplete without you."

"Talk is cheap." She harrumphed.

"I will take the blood oath."

Hiromi's eyes popped open wide upon hearing what he just said.

"Are you serious? You know what the consequence is for breaking it?"

He nodded.

"I am. The Master will annihilate me if I do."

Hiromi stared at the blond wizard.

"Will we be equals; will I no longer call you Master and become the Viscountess of Salzburg?"

"Yes Hiromi."

Hiromi Ayase stared at the man who stole her heart 20 years before in a classroom at Tokyo University. While no longer a young lad he was still a handsome rogue and she had left everything behind to follow him and become his disciple. It was too late to return home. Her parents were still living in Japan but she knew she could no longer return to them, she was the follower of a feared demon, and she would not forsake Trigon, not even for her parents. That door was closed; there was no going back for her. All that remained was the future. A future with a man she was once in love with.

"Do you love me Andreas? Did you ever love me?"

"Of course I did, and I still do. Did I not choose you over all the others at the University?"

Hiromi wanted to ask him why. Why did he choose her over all the other girls? But she lacked the gumption to ask.

"I accept your offer. I will take you as my husband."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

OK, that was a bit Hiromi and Andreas centric, but their story needed to be told.

The reviews and hits keep pouring in! Thanks! I think this story might surpass The Joker's Shadow in the review count.

Anyway, sorry to keep you waiting for this update (I've been unusually busy). In order to expedite the update I will skip the mail bag today.


	18. A traitor in our midst

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

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The sky was gray outside and the wind blew harshly across the alpine landscape. It was frigid outside of the small border crossing station and even the icicles dangling from the lonely outpost's roof appeared to shiver their displeasure. A lone and distracted border guard was watching a soccer match on a portable TV inside the warm gate house and had yet to set foot outside since he went on duty earlier that day.

Sometimes he wondered why there was a border crossing at the desolate location. He knew that it had been built during World War 2. Its location was secure and virtually impregnable due to the local toplogy, which was a wise choice by the Swiss. Without a militarized guard station there during the war the Nazis could have just driven into Switzerland from Austria. Of course that was in the distant past. In the present the only invaders would be tourists with fists full of Euros, but not at this backwater.

The soccer game was a dud, a UEFA European Football Chmpionship qualifier between Andorra and Iceland, a real snoozer and the referee had just mercifully blown the whistle to signal the end of the first half when a gleaming black BMW 7 series sedan with Swiss license plates pulled up to the check point. Even though it was freezing outside the guard welcome the respite from his ennui and marched out the door.

The driver's window glided down silently, revealing a muscular dark skinned man at the wheel and three passengers in the back seat. In the middle sat a dark haired young man with a girl under each arm.

"Your papers please." The border guard asked politely in German. "And your automobile papers too."

The driver handed the car's papers to the guard along with 4 passports, which he examined carefully, one by one.

_Victor Stone, Tara Markov, Kori Anders and … Richard Grayson?_

"Are you the Richard Grayson?"

"The one and only." The young man replied.

The border guard looked enviously at the arm candy the heir to the Wayne fortune had under each arm. The girls were knockouts and giggled as the young trust fund baby whispered sweet nothings into their ears. One was a blond and the other a tanned red head who couldn't keep her hands off the famous Gothamite. Mel Brooks was right; it is good to be the king.

"What is your business in Austria Mr. Grayson?"

"Not business, just pleasure, lots of pleasure. We're meeting a friend in Vienna."

The guard gave their papers a critical second look before stamping the passports and returning them to the disguised Cyborg.

"Everything appears to be in order. Welcome to Austria Mr. Grayson."

The guard lifted the barrier and the luxury sedan sped into Austria. As it disappeared into the distance he re-entered the guard booth and picked up the phone.

"Commandant? … Yes, its agent Gerding at crossing station 27. I'm calling to let you know that Grayson has entered the country … yes I let him enter just as you ordered … he said he was headed to Vienna … yes, thank you Commandant."

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Hiromi was curled up next to Andreas in the huge bed in his room. It was already morning and she woke up first, after which caressed her mate's unshaven face and smiled.

They had performed the blood oath the night before. It was simple yet powerful ritual where they both cut incisions in the palms of their hands, which they pressed together and pledged themselves to each other while their blood mingled in their joined hands. There would be many unhappy women in Salzburg from that point on as the blood oath was a strict judge, jury and executioner when it came to infidelity. Andreas was hers now and hers alone. She grinned as she imagined all of the jealous fräuleins fretting and wondering how such an ordinary looking foreign woman had bagged Salzburg's most eligible bachelor and the title of Viscountess. She could already hear them grinding their teeth as Andreas had slept with hundreds of them, all of them models of beauty and perfection. She had won and they had lost.

But there was more to their union than flaunting her catch to Salzburg society or even sexual bliss, which the blood oath enhanced. Hiromi could already feel her magical powers increasing. Andreas had identified her back at Tokyo University as an individual with great innate magical potential. But the blood oath had increased her power dramatically, to the point where she felt confident enough to confront Raven directly.

She despised the gray demoness with every fiber in her body and soul. She hated that Arella had been chosen to be the vessel that would bring forward the Gem, and that the Gem had resisted and eventually betrayed her own father. She could not fathom how Raven would chose to side with a group of strangers, teenagers who had nothing in common with her and who claimed to be her "friends", over her own father, it was inconceivable. Back at the train station Hiromi had been able to feel Raven's demonic power, which felt like an echo of Trigon's own.

Hiromi suddenly thought of her own parents, who were by now old, gray and retired. There had been no contact with them since they discovered she was dabbling in dark magic. Her father had even recruited a Shinto priest to talk some sense into her, but it was to no avail. She turned the tables on then and tried to bring them into the Trigonic cult but they refused, clearly horrified at her offer. She had no choice then but to break all contact with them. Her mother had begged her to reconsider, but Hiromi refused and vanished from their lives. She later learned that they had built a new family shrine, hoping that their ancestors might intercede and help bring her back, but she knew that was impossible. She was Trigon's slave, and now that she had taken the blood oath with Andreas returning to her parents would mean certain death from the curse. There was no going back.

Andreas' mobile phone chirped and she grabbed it before it disturbed him.

"Yes … this is Hiromi … he is asleep … you can tell me, I am his wife … I see … thank you Commandant, you will be rewarded as promised."

Hiromi ended the phone call and roused her mate, who woke up almost instantly.

"They are on their way my beloved. But they are going to Vienna first."

"Which ones?"

"Nightwing, Cyborg, the Alien and a blond."

"So the Geomancer has joined them. I take it that Raven and her idiot were not with them?"

"There was no report of them. They are probably still recovering from my attack."

"They are meeting someone in Vienna, probably a foreign mage. They are coming to scout us out. We shall not disappoint them, shall we my mate?" He replied.

Hiromi gently pushed Andreas back down onto his back while climbing onto him,

"We shall not, my lover."

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Raven woke with a start. At first she felt disoriented, as if the world had been turned upside down. Her stomach felt heavy, even nauseous as a horrible sense of dread washed over her. Summoning all her willpower she did her best to bring order to the chaos that was ruling her mind. It was not easy as the maelstrom of emotions refused to loosen their grip on her psyche. She never felt anything like this before, at least not since she became the portal for her father.

Raven had grown since that fateful day and her mind was much stronger thant when she was a teen. It was akin to herding cats, but after giving it a supreme effort she was finally able to bring order to randomness that had engulfed her mind, and that was when she sensed that something big happened the night before, something truly terrible and horrifying, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Her first instinct was to check on her husband, and she briefly panicked while she fumbled with the light on the nightstand, unable to find the switch that appeared to be playing 'hide and go seek' with her. She eventually found the switch and nearly knocked the lamp over in the process. Once she switched it on she was able to see that he was uninjured and sleeping peacefully at her side. He mumbled something unintelligible and rolled over towards her, wrapping his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She heaved a sigh of relief as she scooted over and snuggled up to him. But the sense of dread returned, a premonition that like a troublesome zit just wouldn't go away. Finally it dawned on her what was wrong and she sat up with a sudden jerk, waking her mate.

"Wassamatter Rae?" He mumbled, still half asleep.

"Gar, wake up." She barked at him. After rubbing the sleep out of his eyes he yawned and slowly sat up in the bed as well.

"Gar how do you feel?"

The changeling stretched before replying.

"Pretty good, why?"

"Good enough to go on a mission?"

He paused for a moment before replying.

"I think so. What's going on?"

It was then that Beast Boy noticed that Raven looked unusually pale. Her normally intense eyes with their piercing expression had been replaced by a pair that could not mask the fear and worry that was consuming their owner. He noticed that she was trembling ever so slightly.

"Our friends are in danger. I can feel the evil that is awaiting them, ready to ambush them from the shadows. I haven't felt anything like this, not since I fought with my father."

"And we can't warn them. Nightwing is running the mission in stealth mode …"

"With no radio contact." She completed his sentence.

"We have to go to Salzburg Rae, we can't let Andreas and Hiromi hurt them."

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The airport in Vienna was busy as all major European airports are. Its shiny marble floors echoed all the sounds travelers made as they rushed to the check in stations, gates and baggage claim areas. It was also swarming with armed soldiers who kept a wary eye on the crowds, determined to not allow an encore of what had happened at the Zurich train station just days before. That attack had rattled the governments of European Union and to a lesser extent it had unnerved the entire world. As a result of the Zurich disaster there was a rising anti mage sentiment in Europe, which several newspapers documented as they were prominently displayed in one of the airport's newsstands.

Richard picked up a copy if the English language International Herald Tribune and read the front page story. The head line read: "Mages and Superheroes: A deadly mix?" After reading the article he snorted his disapproval.

"Yo man, what's the matter?" A holographically disguised Victor Stone muttered as the two ladies drew closer as well.

"The media are blaming the Zurich attack on the Titans." Dick grumbled. "They're saying that the Titans should just go home and mind their own business. That we are a magnet for trouble."

"That's gratitude for you. Have they forgotten about how the Brotherhood of Evil almost set a nuke off in Paris and that we stopped them?"

"They're blaming that on us too, the article claims that had we not cornered the Brotherhood that they would have never set up that bomb. And of course they'realso blaming Trigon's take over on Raven…"

"They might have a point Robin." Terra interjected. "We're only here because of what Andreas did to Raven and BB. He isn't threatening anyone here, at least not now."

"Nightwing." He corrected her. "And don't call me that when I'm not in disguise. And just whose side are you on Tara?" He growled at her.

"Duh! On ours! But that doesn't mean we shouldn't understand their point of view. But think about it Dick, the Titans are bringing their fight to these people's homes. They don't see Andreas as a threat; most don't even know he exists."

"Wrong Tara. Andreas is the one who brought the fight to Salzburg, and if you think …"

Dick's diatribe was interrupted by a strange female voice that spoke in English with a faint hint of a Hong Kong accent.

"It is unwise to discuss your dealings with the Viscount in public."

The four Titans whirled around. The voice belonged to a petite Chinese woman. She was dressed in a western style business suit with a necktie and had what looked like a PC laptop bag slung around her shoulder.

"Li Meng, at your service. I suggest we leave the airport immediately as there are agents from the enemy present. We do not want a repeat of what happened in Zurich."

Dick nodded and they quickly but casually headed back to the parking garage where they left their BMW parked. Cyborg pulled the clicker out of his pocket, ready to unlock the car. Miss Meng gestured with her hand, indicating that he should wait. She pulled a paper talisman out of the laptop case and slapped it onto the car's rear bumper. As she did this a cacophony of shrieks and screams was heard as a myriad of tiny demons fled from the car, emerging from just about every nook and cranny in the sleek BMW. They were all tiny, no bigger than a mouse, but were numerous. Soon they were gone and the parking garage was once again silent.

"The car is clean now; we may now leave without being tracked."

The four Titans stared at the car in disbelief.

"But this must mean that Andreas knows we are coming to Salzburg." Starfire remarked. "But how? We are disguised."

"The enemy has spies everywhere, even in Zurich. It is a good thing that the Justice League has sent me to help you. You are in over your heads in this matter."

"Excuse me!" Cyborg interjected. "But in case you've forgotten, we defeated Trigon, which I might add you Justice Leaguers didn't."

"No disrespect was intended Mr. Stone, but to be fair it was Raven who vanquished Trigon, and not the Titans."

"Whatever." Dick muttered as they got into the car. "Miss Meng, I had never heard of you until Batman told me about you. How long have you been a member of the Justice League?"

"I have been a member since its inception. I have remained undercover as my ongoing mission has been to keep Andreas under tabs. I'm afraid that I owe Raven and her husband an apology, for Andreas slipped out of my sight long enough to cast the curse on them. I promise to do everything possible to help break that curse."

"So the Justice League considers Andreas to be a threat?"

They do, as does the European Union. The EU seems content with the stalemate situation that has been the status quo for years now, and form of magical Détente if you will. But the game has changed I am afraid."

"How so?" Terra asked.

"Andreas is not the only one with spies. My informants have told me that he and Hiromi have taken the Blood Oath."

"What's that?" Cyborg asked.

"It's a bondage oath, done through Trigon himself. Andreas and Hiromi are now joined, mated. That in and of itself is unremarkable, but what is noteworthy is that in taking the Blood Oath their powers are combined and even multiplied."

Starfire gasped.

"We must call Raven and Beast Boy for help!"

"We will do no such thing." Li replied.

"Hello, Earth to Chinese sorceress. Raven kicks butt and so does BB! We could use their help!" Terra snapped at her.

Li Meng stared dispassionately at the Geomancer.

"I am well aware of Miss Raven's powers. I know that she is more powerful than I am and her husband, when in Minister Magi mode, is most formidable. But there is something you must understand. Andreas did not take the Blood Oath to satisfy Hiromi's desire to be his mate. He did it to have enough power to destroy Raven and Beast Boy."

"Is he really now that powerful?" Dick asked.

"No he is not, but his will be a suicide mission. At first the curse was considered sufficient, but Andreas knows that the Logans will try to force him to break the curse, so he had upped the ante so to speak. He knows that if Raven unleashed her darkest powers on him that he might not be able to resist. My operatives tell me that he is targeting Raven directly and will kill her, even if he dies in process himself. We must insure that they never get close enough to the Logans to harm them. They must not know what is happening and need to remain in the safe house in Zurich."

Dick became taciturn as the interior of the car fell quiet. He didn't like this situation, not one bit.

"So what do you have in mind Li?" Cyborg asked as he guided the car down the Austrian autobahn.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Mrs. Logan, please do not go. I beg you to reconsider. Neither you nor your husband has fully recovered from your injuries. I am sure that your friends will be fine. They are not alone; Miss Meng will be with them. She is a very skilled sorceress."

Beast Boy shook his head.

"Sorry dude, we can't do that. Our friends are in danger and they probably don't even know it. We can't just sit here waiting for them to come back."

"Gar is right, they are walking into a trap and don't even know it.

The elderly mage shook his head, unwilling to accept their decision. Tomas Kuether appeared to be an old and frail man, but he was perhaps the most powerful and skilled wizard in all of Europe. He was tempted to use force to restrain the Logans, but he knew he was no match for the now adult Raven. He thought of having other mages assist him in detaining them but cast the thought aside. He knew when he was beat.

"Is there nothing I can say to dissuade you from this reckless endeavor?"

Raven solemnly shook her head.

"We're going to need a car. If I teleport he'll know we're coming and as for public transportation, that didn't work all that well last time."

Kuether bowed his head.

"All of the good cars are taken, I'm afraid that all I can offer you is a small hatchback, my personal vehicle."

"That will work fine." She replied. "It won't attract attention."

Kuether led them to house's garage and flipped on the lights, which revealed a modest 4 door Opel Astra hatchback.

"It is yours to take. But I beg of you to be careful Mr. and Mrs. Logan."

Elfreide walked into the garage, carrying a small basket and with two suitcases floating behind her.

"I have packed your luggage for you and made you some lunch to eat while you are on the road. I agree with Tomas in that this is a reckless decision, but wish you the best of luck nonetheless."

Beast Boy took the basket and peeked at its contents.

"Thanks Elfreide. Don't sweat it, we'll be fine."

The Logans got into the car, Raven behind the wheel. It was then that she noticed that there were 3 pedals on the floor.

"Gar, uh, can you drive a stick?"

"Cy taught me how … once."

"Then you're driving." Raven answered as they switched places. "I've only ever driven automatics."

Elfreide chuckled as she whispered "Americans." To Kuether, who cracked a small smile.

Kuether's grin grew when Beast Boy stalled the car on his first try. After restarting it he was able to back out of the garage and with a jerk the car pulled away from the house.

"If they come back alive from this hare brained mission they're buying a new clutch for my car." He joked. Elfreide nodded.

"I'll be in the kitchen, cleaning up." She replied.

"And I'll be in my office." He said as he shut the garage door.

Elfreide retreated to kitchen to clean up the mess that remained from preparing lunch for the Logans. Before she began she pulled a mobile phone out of her purse and texted a message:

"They are on their way."

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OK! Trouble is brewing once again, with traitors and new friends. Will the Titans be able to defeat Andreas and Hiromi? Stay tuned.

My next update might be delayed as I have some Ganguro duty coming up. Fortunately I will be on break so hopefully I can work on both and get some chapters posted promptly.

And before I forget, an apology for being too lazy to too do the mail bag last time. Not so this time around. You speak, I reply!

**xXCanaryXx** - "Ohh no! THey are gonna get married and then they are gonna be strong and try to beat up Rae and Gar and then *random blabbering*!

Ohh now I know Andreas' and Hiromi's back stories and what they were doing during the teams 'discussion.' Oh man, things are gonna heat UP! :D I am soo excited! Bring the next chapter!"

_A show down is brewing (some might call it a train wreck) . The sparks will soon be flying in Salzburg. Will Li Meng (I named her after a friend from school) be able to save the day? Stay tuned._

**The Cretan** - "I got a feeling Andreas is just using Hiromi. Somethin about the guy tells me commitment is not one of his virtues. But it might just be me. Raven seems to be jumping the gun with Terra. Hopefully, she won't shoot herself in the foot or the one she loves most might pay the price. Awesome chapter. I was wondering when Terra would resurface. Can't wait to read more."

_I love including Terra because she is such a great wild card. She will have a major role to play in this story. Also thanks for reviewing "A Leap of Faith". I'm glad someone likes that story!_

**AllYourWafflesBelongToMe** - "Yay! More about Hiromi's past and his relationship with Andreas!

Looks like Beast Boy and Raven will have to look out for their newly married opponents! I still think Andreas is just using Hiromi.

You did a great job with this chapter!"

_Well we all know that Andreas is a scumbag, so it wouldn't be a big surprise, would it? Have you ever had Mickey Mouse shaped waffles at Disneyland or Disneyworld?_

**lpwriter4life** - "Ugh, I have a headache from reading too many chapters at one time! Glad you started writing again, dude! update soon:D"

_Take two aspirin and call me in the morning! Glad to see you are back, as more than a few folks who reviewed my earlier stories have simply disappeared._

**St. Jack of randomness** - "Aww, no mailbag? :( Oh well, excellent work as usual my friend. :)"

_Sorry about that, it won't happen again __._

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "Heh that'd be interesting Andreas and Hiromi taking on Gar and Rae eh? All the more let's get down to business and all the more reason for Gar and Rae to go all out on Andreas and Hiromi time to unleash the Black Beast (Gar's the Body and Rae's the Heart) on em."

_You always have so many interesting ideas._

**The One They Call Shamis** - "Even if it was extremely Hiromi/Andreas centric, I liked it. Good to see that you really took time to develop the main antagonists back story. Although, I must say I really, REALLY wanted to see Raven kick Kuether's ass. ... tell her she's taking it too personally. Dude must be out of his damn mind. Good chapter though and as usual, can't wait to read more."

_Kuether is just concerned about them in a grandfatherly way. Elfreide on the other hand..._

**GreenRock** - "The storm has subsided and calm has been ensured . . . for now. I can only imagine what Andreas and Hiromi have planned for the Titans, but whatever it is, I don't think that all Titans will escape unscathed.

After previous chapters, I'm surprised that Andreas even has a caring side to him. No doubt that that is soon to change once the going gets tough.

Good work and (as usual) cannot wait until the next installment."

_Some people believe that Hitler did love Eva Braun, so I guess it's plausible that Andreas might actually love Hiromi._

**wolfenstien** - "Another great chapter dude. Great tension between Raven and Terra... and good job on the backstory for Hiromi."

_Thanks. Sometimes one wonders how a nice girl ends up bad. _

**crazynerd** - "They are going to get married! ! Cliff hanger. U know how to keep a reader interested. Update soon"

_Thanks, I have to watch it with the cliffhangers, sometimes I get carried away with them._

**FelynxTiger** - "wow and i thought i couldn't get more delightful , and other chapter that brings entertainment , joy and an enjoyable moment to us the readers , Hiromi's story was an interesting part of the story how you take us through her hole life was impressive , and i wonder if Andreas is saying the true after all what they have been.

Also that little confrontation between Raven and Terra was funny i can only imagine their faces XD"

_Raven is understandably harsh with Terra, but she might be surprised by the blond geomancer._

**Jamesjones** - "Great story! Just as a side note.. Whats going on with Ganguro? No update in awhile.. I hope it hasnt been cancelled!"

_Ganguro is alive and well, and was updated just last night. Sorry for the delays, but team writing can be tricky at times._


	19. The Tour

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The flurries were beginning to fly as the black sedan approached Salzburg late in the afternoon. As they came down the from the mountain pass driving along the highway that carved its way down the alpine mountains, switchback followed by yet another switchback they were able to distinguish Von Zweig castle through the wintry fog that enveloped the valley. The castle sat at the far end of city, well past the city's limits and stood perched on a hilltop, looking impregnable and foreboding.

Nightwing, still dressed as his civilian alter ego Dick Grayson, scanned the castle with his infrared binoculars. Li Meng was seated in the front seat, next to Cyborg and was also assessing the situation.

"What do you know about the castle?" Dick asked her while he continued to pan the castle, searching for a weakness that could be exploited, a way into Andreas' fortified lair.

"After Windsor castle it's probably the most fortified and best protected castle in all of Europe. Besides the obvious armed guards it's also teeming with hidden guards, high tech security systems and of course magical safeguards. Rumor has it that Andreas has a Basilisk patrolling the interior of the castle."

"A basilisk? I thought those were 'make believe'." Cyborg chuckled.

"Was Malchior 'make believe'? Was Trigon?" Li Meng chided him in a cross voice. "There is much of the magical world Raven has not told you about."

"What else does he have in there?" Dick asked.

"I really do not know. I have tried on several occasions to breach his defenses but I have never been able to get into the castle."

"If we can't get in to gather intelligence then this trip will have been a waste. Now I wish Raven was here, she could teleport us in there."

"Don't be so sure of that Nightwing. Andreas has powerful anti portal and teleportation charms protecting his castle. Not even he can open a portal inside the castle."

"So we'll have to get inside the old fashioned way."

Cyborg pulled the car up to the lobby if the sumptuous Hotel Salzburg, where the famous international playboy Richard Grayson had booked the Royal Suite on the top floor and had ordered enough food and booze for an unforgettable party that would never happen. As the BMW pulled to a stop a lavishly uniformed doorman raced to the car and opened the doors.

"Welcome the Hotel Salzburg! Mr. Grayson I presume?"

Nightwing put on his spoiled playboy mask and emerged from the car with his "arm candy."

"You got that right!"

And army of Bellhops appeared out of nowhere and collected the entire set of luggage in the trunk, loading them onto a dolly.

"This way Mr. Grayson, Heike will take care of checking you in."

The doorman led Nightwing through the elegant and spacious lobby to the check-in desk where Heike awaited. She tapped on the keyboard of the hotel's reservation system.

"I see that everything has been prepaid by Wayne Enterprises Mr. Grayson, all I need is your signature."

Dick signed the registration papers as another hotel employee approached him.

"Good afternoon Mr. Grayson, my name is Hans and I am the concierge on duty. If there is anything I get for you please let me know."

Dick was about to politely thank the man before dismissing him when he had an idea.

"Any chance of getting a tour of the castle?"

Hans was unable to hide his surprise towards the request.

"What a strange coincidence that you should ask. The castle has been closed to tourists for decades, but just an hour ago I received a phone call from the castle. It turns out that they are willing to admit, how can I put this, 'distinguished' visitors for a brief period? They are only accepting guests from the Hotel Salzburg of course, and the price is a bit steep, 10,000 Euros per person. The last I heard they had already booked 50 visitors but I am positive that I can get your distinguished party a place on that tour. The admission fee will be donated to a local charity of course and it includes a luncheon with the Viscount himself."

Dick flicked his American Express "Black" Card at the concierge.

"Do it! Reserve 5 spots for us."

Hans grinned as he took the elite credit card.

"They will be sending limousines to pick up everyone tomorrow at 9 AM sharp. Is there anything else I can do for you sir?"

Dick cracked a convincing false grin, playing up his playboy reputation to the limit, as he leaned closer to the concierge.

"Could you send up a box of … condoms to the room?"

Hans returned the smile.

"It will be my pleasure sir."

Satisfed that his deception was complete, Dick and his teammate were led to their suite.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Royal Suite was the epitome of decadent luxury. The faucets in the bathrooms were even gold plated. Its 5 bedrooms had the finest furniture that Terra had ever seen.

"I thought you guys had nice digs at the Tower!" The Geomancer marveled. "This place is awesome!"

"The food's pretty good too!" Cyborg remarked through a full mouth. Meanwhile Li Meng performed a sweep of the suite, plastering her paper charms all over the place.

"The room appears to be clean. Andreas isn't spying on us, at least not yet."

"He knows were here, why else would he suddenly open the castle to tours?" Nightwing asked.

"So it is a trap?" Starfire asked.

"Of that there is no doubt, the only question that remains is what kind of trap and why? He could have attacked us on the mountain road." Li confirmed.

"We're bait." Dick replied. "To catch Raven and Beast Boy."

"Richard, we cannot allow that to happen! "

"Who says we will Star? Andreas isn't the only one with tricks up his sleeve."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The doorman chuckled when he saw the modest Opel Astra hatchback pull into the hotel reception area. It was surrounded by luxury cars that cost at least 200,000 Euros each and it looked as out of place as a Nun at a nudist beach.

The vehicle parked and a young couple, both blonds, emerged from the car. The doorman approached them with an indifferent look on his face.

"May I help you?" He asked condescendingly. "If you're here to apply for the job openings in the kitchen you'll need to drive back to the service entrance, only hotel guests are allowed to park here."

"We're with Grayson party." The young man replied with an American accent.

The doorman's expression was evident: _Sure you are._

"Just a moment please."

He picked up a courtesy phone and prepared to dial.

"Your names please?"

"Garfield and Rachel Logan." She replied.

"Please wait."

The disguised Logans watched with amusement as the Doorman phoned the front desk and explained the situation. He grinned as he replaced the handset on its cradle.

"I'm afraid that they left for the day. Sorry. Now if you would please remove your … vehicle … unless of course you have a … reservation." He snickered.

"Where did they go?" Raven asked him in her monotone.

"I'm afraid that I don't know, and even if I did I couldn't and wouldn't tell you."

"Where are our friends?" The young man snarled menacingly.

"Your friends? Who are you kidding? You are a pair of nobodies and you expect me to believe that Mr. Richard Grayson, heir to the Wayne fortune, is your personal friend? Now get out of here before I summon the police!"

Beast Boy saw his wife's eyes glow red as she removed her holoring. She began to change in the same fashion as she did on that fateful day when Dr. Light rubbed her the wrong way: she grew in stature, her teeth became serrated and dark tentacles appeared from under her cape, and approached the pompous doorman menacingly.

"Tell me where they went, NOW!" She roared in her guttural otherworldly voice.

The doorman, his face now pale as terror consumed him tried to flee, but was caught by one of Raven's dark tentacles around his ankles and fell to the ground.

"Tell me now or so help me I'll …"

The doorman was panic stricken and stammered his reply.

"I'm sorry miss; I didn't know you were from the castle." He replied wide eyed. "Grayson and his party went on the guided tour of the castle; the concierge said they left 30 minutes ago."

"You are sure of this, a guided tour?"

"Y-y-yes, the castle reopened suddenly yesterday, I don't know why. Is Mr. Grayson a friend of the Viscount?"

Ignoring his question, Raven resumed her human form and opened a telepathic link to her husband.

"**Gar, we need to go, now!"**

She raised her cape and Beast Boy stepped right in front of her. With a sweeping motion she engulfed him with her cape and the two phased into the ground as a bellhop came running to the doorman's aid, helping back onto to his feet.

"Are you OK Norbert? What happened?"

The doorman brushed the dirt off his uniform as he recovered from the shock of what he had just experienced.

"The Viscount's people give me the creeps. I've never seen her before, have you Helmut?"

The bellhop, wide eyed, shook his head.

"No I haven't, but she sure is scary."

Xxxxxx

There was a group of 50 odd people assembled in the Grand Hall of the Von Zweig castle. Dick recognized most of them from past social events at Wayne Manor. There was no one present with a net worth of less than 10 billion dollars. Some of them recognized him and struck up some idle chat while hors d' oeuvres and champagne were being served.

"Richard dear, it's been so long since we last saw you at the Manor. Bruce says that you moved to the west coast to study." A matronly woman wearing enough diamonds to supply a jewelry store asked him. "And what interesting companions! Are they friends from your university?"

"Hello Mrs. Pierce. Yes, these are some friends of mine from school."

The rich woman hooked her arm around Dick's and dragged him away from the other Titans.

"They certainly seem like an eclectic group Richard; I guess that comes with the territory in attending a school in California, where did you say you were studying?"

"I'm studying at Cal State Jump City." He lied to her.

"A public school, oh Richard, you always were a mischievous prankster. As if you would really attend a state university." The woman guffawed. "Richard, the next time you're in Gotham you and Bruce must have dinner with us, we have a new French chef and his food is to die for. It's been a long time since you've seen our Aneoria, she still is smitten with you."

"Thank you Mrs. Pierce, but I already have a girlfriend."

"You don't mean that ragamuffin Barbara Gordon?" She asked with a hint if disdain.

"Actually no, it's not Miss Gordon …"

Before Richard could extricate himself from the pushy matron a gong was sounded and none other than Andreas Von Zweig, with Hiromi at his side, entered the room, walking halfway down the magnificent marble staircase that was in the middle of the hall. A waiter carrying a tray with two glasses of champagne approached them and they each took a glass.

"Greetings my guests and thank you for participating in this charitable event on such short notice. Our cause is a noble one as the local orphanage has fallen on hard times what with all the government budget cuts that have been happening. The Von Zweig foundation will be matching your generous donations four to one, and I can assure you that the orphanage director is thrilled by your generosity!"

A polite round of applause was heard.

Andreas raised his hand to acknowledge and then hush the crowd.

"I have to admit though that I have also asked you here for another reason, a more personal one."

He captured the crowd's attention with his words.

"I have some very good news to share with you. For the first time in decades there is a Viscountess in Von Zweig castle. Yes it's true, I have wed and wish for you to join me in celebration tonight."

Gasps echoed throughout the Grand Hall.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my greatest pleasure to introduce to you the new Viscountess of Salzburg, my bride, Hiromi Ayase."

This time the round of applause was thunderous. Hiromi stepped forward and took Andreas hand as she greeted the throng. Dick stared at Andreas and the sorcerer locked eyes with him.

"Now please join us on a grand tour of the castle, after which we will have a reception followed by a luncheon. I promise you this will be a day you will never forget!" Andreas announced without ever breaking eye contact with Dick.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Raven and Beast Boy materialized near the parking lot that was outside of the castle's perimeter. There were several hired limousines that were parked there and the drivers were killing time watching a portable TV. Beyond the parking lot was the castle's heavily fortified main entrance.

"It' gonna be tough breaking in there Rae. Are you sure you can't open a portal to get in?"

"He has some powerful charms protecting it, we're gonna have to get in without magic."

"Do you think he detected us yet?"

"I'm sure he has, but it had to be done Gar. I can't believe that they just accepted his invitation, Nightwing knows that it's a trap."

"They got in, didn't they? I mean they didn't have to sneak in, and as long as other people are around they should be safe, right?"

Raven frowned.

"That's true, but they won't be able to gather any intelligence if they stay with party. Andreas is counting on them slipping away from the main group. I hope this Li Meng knows what she's doing. Right now we need to figure out how to break into the castle without being seen."

As they watched they saw that the two guards on duty were relieved at the end of their shift. Beast Boy smiled.

"You still have your programmable holoring Rae?"

"Yes I do, why?"

"I have an idea."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The two relief guards had just taken their positions in the guard gate when a shapely blond approached them, coming out of the parking lot. The two men smiled as the young woman was, to put it succinctly, very attractive. Still they had a duty to perform, and they were professional, if anything. The junior guard was sent out to intercept her.

"I'm sorry fräulein but you cannot enter the castle, it is not open for tours."

"But I'm part of the tour that's being held today." She answered in an American accent. "I forgot my purse in the limousine and came back out to … wait a minute, you aren't the same guys who were here when I came out."

"That's correct miss." He replied as he checked his clipboard. "I'm sorry, but there's no record here of anyone leaving."

The blond gave him an annoyed look.

"Well the tall guy told me to just go ahead and get my purse."

"I'm sorry fräulein but I can't let you enter."

The woman crossed her arms.

"I'm Dick Grayson's personal assistant. If I don't return he's gonna interrupt the tour and come looking for me."

The guard looked troubled.

"Follow me miss."

Raven followed the guard into the booth, where he brought up mug shots taken of the guests when they first arrived. He found Terra's picture right away.

"Miss Markov."

"That's my name."

"May I see some ID?"

Raven was ready for this and handed the guard the holographic passport Cyborg gave them to get around under their assumed identities.

"I don't know how you got out without being recorded Miss Markov. Please don't do it again. They are still in the Grand Hall. If you hurry you'll catch them before the tour starts."

"Thank you … ?"

"My name is unimportant fräulein."

"Well thank you anyway."

Raven dashed into the castle, where a porter opened the door for her. Instead of heading to the Grand Hall, she dashed into the ladies powder room instead. Locking the door behind her she reached into her purse and pulled a green mouse out of it. Beast Boy resumed his human form.

"That went well." He remarked. "We're in."

Raven shut off her holoring.

"It's a good thing Terra didn't disguise herself. I have no idea of how Starfire changed her appearance."

"So did you like being Terra?"

"What do you think? And don't get any bright ideas of having me wear this ring when make love. Not unless you want to sleep on the couch."

Beast Boy raised his hands in mock defeat.

"Why would I do that?"

"Never mind. Now we move onto step two."

Raven tweaked her ring and she was transformed into an older woman wearing a chambermaid's uniform.

"I liked you better as Terra."

"Keep it up and I'll make sure the couch is extra lumpy."

The changeling snickered and morphed into a fly, he hid himself in the hat Raven's was wearing as part of the chambermaid's costume.

"I hope this works Gar. If it doesn't, be ready to fight."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A shorter chapter, but I know you've been waiting.

Now for the mailbag:

**xXCanaryXx** - "Omigod. The two took the bloodoath and now we have traitors. Why Elfriede? Why? Great, it is one big disastrous trap. Rae and Gar can be so stupid sometimes.. but they were just tryin to help their friends. Gsh, I have no idea who to blame... I'LL BLAME TERRA! I hate her anyways. Well, she seems to be slippin a bit, sidin with Hiromi and Andreas. Is she a nutcase or what? And I can't believe all these traitors ^_^" Choose your goddamn side already!

Great as usual"

_Poor Terra, she always gets blamed for everything!_

**LoveBassClarinet** - "I just want to say, this story is pretty much amazing!"

_Thanks! I aim to please!_

**AllYourWafflesBelongToMe** - "First, it was the guard and now it's Elfreide? Is Terra gonna betray them next? This story's getting intense! Hope you update soon.

P.S. I've never tried the waffles there. Are they delicious? :D"

_I have never tried them. Maybe next time I go there._

**almostinsane** - "Great chapters! Sorry I haven't reviewed lately. I love the duality and the contrast between Raven and Beast Boy and Hiromi and Andreas. Can't wait to read more. God bless!"

_I like the contrast myself. They have a lot in common, and yet are so different._

**still too old for this** - "And so the players assemble. The convergence in Vienna hints at being interesting (assuming that BB doesn't stall the car out completely before he gets there, a nice touch, congrats.)

Looking forward to the next chapter. You seem to be accelerating the chapters (or I'm slowing down), I'm waiting with baited breath."

_Well, I've been on break from work, so I've had some time on my hands._

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "LOL so final battle scene Terra, Raven and Starfire gonna do a Triple team combo (Terra, with the Triple Geyser, Raven with a Raging Storm and Starfire with a Power Stream "the one she did on the End Pt 1")? Kidding

Anyways awesome chappie and apparently Andreas has a snitch, that does not bode well for the team. But yeah as always, the final battle will gonna be awesome, gonna ask Novus Ordo Seclorum for an awesome battle scene, where the Titans will go all out like they did on The End."

_Bad guys always have snitches, don't they?_

**The Cretan** - "Great update. I can't help but feel a little worry though. It just seems like Rae is getting weaker. Hope her lifeforce isn't ebbing away or something. I'm sure I'll be surprised though. Can't wait. Also thanks for putting me in the mailbag. I haven't had this much contact with other fans in the various fandoms for a couple of years now, (silly fanwars and stuff). You don't know how much it means to have nice exchanges with someone for a change. I'll be finishing Leap of Faith soon. Merry Christmas."

_I'm glad you enjoyed Leap of Faith. I learned the hard way that crossovers aren't very popular._

**Bordom Kills** - "OMG this chapters great dude poor bb and raeare headed stright for a trap and rae seems to be the one in constant danger ha ha"

_Danger lurks everywhere, but Raven is pissed._

**lpwriter4life** - "I'm ok now thanks. By the way, Happy Holidays :D Honestly, I think the Titans may get their butt kicked especially since Raven & BB are still recovering... but maybe a miracle will happen. Update soon:)"

_Don't believe in miracles ... rely on them!_

**FelynxTiger** - "and thats why you should never break contact with your teamates , the plan of Andreas is getting me nuts agh oh well nothing else to say except Happy Holidays!"

_The team is almost reunited, but they don't know it ... yet._

**GreenRock** - "Wow, this is certainly turning into some serious stuff. That storm that subsided in the previous chapter seems to have re-commenced and is going to turn more violent than before.

It's seems now that none of the Titans can trust anyone anymore; especially after the revelation at the end of the story with Elfreide turning out to be a traitor; did not see that one coming."

_As Slade once said: It's always the one that we least expect._

**St. Jack of randomness **- "In the immortal words of Sally from "Nightmare before Christmas" Oh how I hope my premonition is wrong. I have a bad feeling about the fate that is to befall the Logans I hope you'll prove me wrong. All I can do is wait and read to find out, and so I shall. "

_Life is uncertain, that much we know._


	20. Terra

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Andreas led the entourage into a large narrow room. A huge rosewood dining table, large enough to seat over 100 guests stood in the middle as a small army of butlers and maids were busy setting it up for the upcoming luncheon, laying down fine china, crystal ware and silver cutlery with surgical precision, using rulers to insure the items wer placed properly. Scores of huge portraits adorned the room, their serious faces looking down upon the visitors, casting their disapproving glares across the centuries.

"This is the great dining hall. The portraits on the wall are my ancestors, going as far back as the 12th century. The wood the table is made of was a prize from one of the crusades that Viscount Wilhelm IV brought back from the Holy Land. As for 'trivia', which you Americans seem to be so fond of, famous guests who have dined at this table include Galileo Galilei, Leonardo DaVinci, Queen Victoria, Kaiser Franz I, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig Von Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach and perhaps most notoriously Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler."

Andreas locked eyes with Nightwing.

"So what do you think of my dining room Mr. Grayson? Is it comparable to the one in Wayne Manor?"

Dick wondered what game Andreas was playing as he kept calling on him throughout the tour.

"If the luncheon is as amazing as this magnificent room, then we certainly are in store for a special treat." He replied diplomatically.

Raven, still disguised as a middle aged chambermaid, stood outside of the dining room dusting a marble bust of one of Andreas' ancestors as she discreetly spied on Andreas and Hiromi. Beast Boy, still morphed as a fly had taken off to explore the castle and Raven felt a pang of concern in her gut as he had been gone for over 15 minutes. Meanwhile in the dining hall the guests were peppering Andreas with all sorts of questions about his ancestors. As Raven continued to dust Beasty Boy returned and landed on her head. She opened a telepathic link to him.

"**Did you find anything?"**

"_You bet. I found a room that looks like some kind of temple. Remember where you opened the portal for Trigon? It looks like they hired the same decorators. It even had a creepy altar that looks like that hand you climbed onto."_

Raven suppressed a grimace, doing her best to not recall that horrible day when her father had overwhelmed her own will and used her to escape from his hellish prison.

"**Good job Gar. That's where we'll wait for him. There won't be any guests and if he captures the others he'll bring them there."**

"_Why would he bring them to the creepy temple?"_

"**To sacrifice them to Trigon. What else?"**

Raven gathered her cleaning supplies into a basket and walked out of the bust lined hallway at a brisk pace. As she marched down the endless corridors in the castle she crossed paths repeatedly with the castle staff, and more than a few of them gave her a cursory glance as they did not recognize her as being a member of the staff. Raven's years of experience of showing a blank face came to her aid as her disguise was a portrait of Germanic stoicism. She appeared to be an ordinary chambermaid and no one gave her a second glance as they too were busy with their own tasks to be distracted, less they wind up on the receiving end of the Viscount's wrath. Beast Boy led her down the labyrinth of passages in the castle, and after a long hike they reached a pair of heavy iron doors, not unlike those where Trigon once kept Slade's human flesh and blood stored away. Unlike that time, fortunately, there was no one guarding the door. Beast Boy flew off of Raven's head and crawled under the door. After what felt like an eternity to Raven she heard sound of a lock being released. The doors slowly swung open, its hinges creaking, revealing Beast Boy's human form.

"No one's home." He announced quietly.

Raven nodded and followed him in. Her senses confirmed what he said, the room was deserted. The changeling pulled the heavy doors closed and locked them. They then removed their holorings.

"I found a place where we can hide." He informed her as he led her to a small storage closet that was full of Trigonic paraphernalia. Raven cringed at the sight of the ritualistic items, all covered in same glyphs that had once adorned her body, glyphs that reminded her that she had once been the property of her vile father, who regarded her as unworthy of saving. He had discarded what was left of her after the transformation with total disregard, as if she were nothing more than a piece of trash and not his own daughter. Raven thought of Evangeline, who had placed her faith and trust in the demon's lies. Raven sighed, as hard as it was to accept, she couldn't save everyone from their foolish choices.

As the Logans hid themselves in the closet a closed circuit TV camera silently zoomed in on them.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Yes Mrs. Cohen, it's true, my grandfather did collaborate with the Nazis, but he did so to save Salzburg from destruction …"

Andreas' attempt at family history apologetics was going nowhere when a security guard entered the huge library where he was giving a brief lecture on Von Zweig family history. The uniformed man bowed to him and then approached the Viscount, whispering his report into Andreas' ear. The warlock cracked a huge smile and turned to his wife, whispering to her.

"This has gone far better than I could have ever hoped. Raven and her green idiot are in the temple room as we speak. They have handed themselves to us on a silver platter."

"What shall we do with the others?" She whispered back.

"They are of no consequence. Once we dispose of the Logans we can deal with them later. Come with me."

What Andreas had not counted on was Cyborg's hidden bionic ear, which overheard the supposedly secret conversation they had just shared. Cyborg gathered the others around him and told them what he had just heard. Nightwing frowned upon hearing the news.

"We told them to wait. Why did they come?"

"Are they really here?" Terra asked. "Maybe it's a trap?"

"But what if it is true? We cannot ignore this." Starfire whispered in a hushed tone. "What shall we do?"

"We have to follow Andreas. Between the seven of us we should be able to capture him and Hiromi." Li Meng announced with an air of authority. "This might be the only change we'll get. Follow me. " She added as she led them to the back of the crowd. "Hurry, while no one is watching us."

Meanwhile Andreas tapped on his microphone to get everyone's attention.

"I'm afraid that I owe you an apology. A matter of urgent business has arisen which the Viscountess and I unfortunately cannot ignore. But I leave you in good hands as my head butler Walter will take over leading the tour. We will endeavor rejoin you for the luncheon. Once again, please accept my apologies."

Andreas shut off the microphone and handed it to Walter before he and Hiromi dashed out of the library.

"We can't lose sight of them!" Li Meng replied as she pulled what looked like 5 paper dolls and five talismans out of her purse. Without saying a word she slapped a talisman on each Titan, and after that she handed each one a paper doll and a small pencil.

"Write your undercover name on the doll." She instructed them.

Starfire was the first to comply. As soon as she wrote the name 'Kori Anders' on the blank cut out paper doll it began to grow and morph into a replica of the princess. The others also noticed that Starfire was becoming transparent and would soon become invisible. The others followed suit and within a few seconds they had been replaced by 5 identical golems.

"Hurry!" Meng whispered. "The invisibility charms will only last for a few minutes."

The four Titans and the sorceress rushed out of the library, hurrying to catch up with Andreas and Hiromi, who had a huge lead on them. As they ran down the hallway Andreas removed a communicator from his pocket and barked into it, unable to hold back his excitement.

"Release the Chimera Hans and whatever you do, don't let them get out of the room. We'll be there in a few minutes."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Raven was beginning to feel ill inside of the closet, surrounded by countless replicas of the mark of Scath. And her discomfort wasn't merely psychological in nature. Beast Boy could tell that something was afoot as he could literally smell that something was affecting her, causing her to change.

"Rae, are you OK?"

"I don't think so Gar. I think I need to get out of this closet."

As she replied Beast Boy gasped as he saw the odious glyphs reappear on her body, glowing through her clothes.

"Yeah, the closet was a bad idea. We'll find another place to hide." He agreed as he opened the closet door and peered back into the room. It was then that he let out one of his trademark shrieks.

"RAE! What the hell are those things?"

Raven peered out the door and almost let out her own shriek. There were about 20 of the most hideous creatures she had ever seen. They had the body of a lioness; its tail ended in a snake's head and had a goat's head out of their back. Several of the monsters turned towards them and spewed fire at them, which Raven blocked with her shields.

"They're Chimera!" She shouted. "Andreas knows were here Gar."

Beast Boy weighed in their sudden opponents through Raven's dark sjield.

"We can take 'em Rae."

"We have to destroy them Gar. They're magical and won't relent until they kill us."

The changeling took a deep breath.

"Time to go magi on them?"

Raven shook her head.

"We need to save that for Andreas and Hiromi. I wouldn't mind it if the Beast made an appearance though."

The green Titan smiled.

"I thought you'd never ask."

Beast Boy bolted out of storage room, shouting a battle cry as he charged towards the otherworldly monsters, which all focused on him, snarling while fire and smoke poured out of the nostrils. The changeling changed direction and went straight for the nearest of the nightmarish chimera.

"You think you're scary, wait until you get a load of me!" He shouted just before he transformed into a kangaroo. With a swift kick from his now powerful rear legs he bounded high into the air, somersaulting as he gained altitude.

Raven meanwhile had gone airborne and was protected by one of her dark bubbles as several chimera shot tongues of fire in her direction. Her bubble held firm against the onslaught and firing blasts of obsidian energy from her hands she struck down two of the monsters, which collapsed to floor dead.

As the changeling flipped in the air a few of their mythical opponents took a few shots at him as well, but missed as he moved too fast. As he began to arc downward and he continued to spin, his figure was still a blur. But it was evident to all present that the green blur was getting larger and larger as it approached the floor.

A loud thud was heard as the green blur hit the ground. The Chimera recoiled in surprise as a creature even more fearsome than they were rose to its feet, towering above them, its green fur reflected the light from a nearby sacrificial fire pit. Overcoming its surprise one of the nightmarish creatures charged at the Beast, which with a single swipe from its clawed paw tore the monster in half. Deciding that strength in numbers might be the way to go several of the creatures charged at the Beast, temporarily overwhelming him as they poured over him like a wave, snarling and biting at him.

Still flying above Raven took advantage of their distraction and with more powerful dark energy blasts she obliterated 5 more of the monsters as the Beast lashed out the mountain of horror that was piled upon him, ripping them in half one by one. He was covered in their crimson blood and feeling the battle lust he roared as he killed off those that were still attacking him.

His encounter had not gone without injury as Raven saw a large gash in his right leg, which was bleeding. She flew down to his side and laying her hands on his wound she healed it almost instantly.

There were now only 7 Chimera left and they seemed prepared to go for broke, as they prepared to launch a final but futile assault.

"Leave them my pets. You have fought bravely, but now I shall take over."

The lion like creatures did not have to be told twice as they turned tail and fled. Beast Boy resumed his human form and joined Raven at her side.

"We finally meet Raven, and I see you brought your pet with you. I trust he's housebroken."

"Your insults are pointless Andreas. But I see you have taken your slave as your wife. I never thought of you as one who would marry down."

"Silence you traitorous bitch!" Hiromi snarled at Raven. "You are unworthy of the blessings you have received from your father."

"You're welcome to them." Raven snarled back.

Andreas strutted towards the Logans, grinning self confidently as he locked eyes with Raven.

"I'm not breaking the curse Raven. But I might just break the two of you!"

"Big talk from an old geezer!" Beast Boy howled.

"If you destroy me then the curse will never be broken. Quite a conundrum, isn't it my green friend? Destroy me and the curse remains, hold back and we will destroy you. Either way, I win and you lose."

"Has it ever crossed your arrogant mind that we could capture you and your incompetent wife Andreas?" Raven hissed in reply.

"You're welcome to try Raven." Andreas sneered back at her as he raised his arm, making a sweeping motion around the room. Several mages emerged from the shadows, carrying either magical staffs or wands. All were quite young and had a cruel and evil expression plastered across their faces.

"You didn't think this was going to be easy did you?" Andreas laughed. "Allow me to introduce you to my personal army. I have gathered the most promising dark wizards and witches in all of Europe and they're eager to serve me and our Master, your father."

The mages all wore cloaks and hoods and had formed a circle around the Logans. Raven quickly counted them.

"Capture them, but do not harm them. That please belongs to me." Andreas chortled.

Raven and Beast Boy glanced around, weighing their options.

"There's 13 of them Gar. I think it's time."

"We are so gonna kick their butts!" He replied as he ran forward.

"Adeat!" He shouted.

This time there was a silent flash that engulfed the changeling. When it subsided Andreas' minions took a collective step back as a muscular green warrior who bore a striking resemblance to the changeling stood before them. He stood over 8 feet tall, was dressed in what appeared to be lightweight armor without a helmet and had an enormous sword in his hand, which was even bigger than he was.

"Who wants a piece of me?" Beast Boy roared in a deep, booming supernatural voice.

Once of the mages who was dressed in a burgundy colored cloak stepped forward, adopting a classical fighting stance, with one leg forward, its foot pointed in Beast Boy's direction and his rear leg behind her, slightly bent. It was a female wizard, a witch and she aimed her staff at the Changeling as if it were a rifle.

"Veniant spiritus glaciales obscurants, cum obscurantioni flet tempestas nivalis!" The witch shouted as a blast of ice shot from the tip of her staff.

With unnatural speed the changeling stepped aside and using the flat of his magical sword he batted the spell right back at its caster, who shrieked as she was engulfed in ice.

"Anyone else?" The changeling challenged his enemies.

The remaining 12 mages leveled their staffs and wands at Beast Boy and Raven took this opportunity to attack them with her dark energy. This time the mages were prepared and dodged her attack.

"I'm afraid you're outnumbered Raven!" Andreas gloated as Hiromi began to form a ball of magical energy in her palm. "You can't possibly fight us all". He added as he snapped his fingers, freeing the frozen witch, shattering her icy cocoon. "We aren't the usual collection of weaklings and losers you fight back at home; I mean who do you think I am, Dr. Light?"

As Andreas concluded his taunt the heavy metal doors, which were still locked, came crashing down, felled by Starfire's mighty arms. The Titans, no longer in disguise charged in to the dark temple.

"Never underestimate the Teen Titans Andreas!" Nightwing bellowed. "We defeated Trigon, in case you forgot. You'll be easy by comparison."

"How could I forget?" Andreas replied. "But that outrage will be paid for today, young mundane!"

"Titans go!" Nightwing shouted as they charged into the room, ready to assist their friends. In a single bound he leaped to Raven's side.

"What are you doing here? I thought I told you two to remain in Zurich until we got back?"

"It's a good thing we did come." She replied as she raised a shield to block a spell. "You idiots were walking into a trap."

"You think we didn't know?"

"It crossed my mind." She replied.

Meanwhile Beast Boy was chasing down the mages, swinging his otherworldly blade at them. Cyborg and Starfire were firing sonic blasts and starbolts at the wizards, who were barely able to deflect them with their own shields, which were far weaker than Raven's own defenses. Li Meng produced an ancient looking wand covered in runes and also began to attack and was able to knock out a tall mage dressed in orange with a single blast from her wand, petrifying him.

"Hiromi my love, this is getting out of hand. Kill the changeling."

Hiromi nodded and the ball of light in her hand began to grow.

"Septendecim spiritus obscuri, sagitta magica series obscuri, arrows of darkness find your target!"

17 arrows of obsidian light shot from Hiromi's palm and 16 of them headed straight for Beast Boy while one veered off to right, disappearing in the darkness of the room. The changeling had his back to Hiromi and did not see her attack.

"BB, LOOK OUT!" Terra screamed as she swept her arms around her. 16 pieces of stone detached themselves from a wall and shot towards the changeling, who turned around in time to see the stones intercept the 16 deadly arrows of dark energy, neutralizing and obliterating them as they collided. Raven also witnessed Terra's save and made a mental note to thank the geomancer later.

Terra was floating on one of her signature boulders with her hands on her hips and a grin on her face as the Logans waved their thanks to her when they both saw the stray 17th arrow emerge from the shadows behind the geomancer, just yards away from her. Beast Boy began to shout a warning and Raven raised her hand to conjure a shield, but both were too late.

The dark arrow picked up speed and sliced effortlessly through Terra's torso. As is exited through the front of her chest the evil arrow dissolved and was followed by a cloud of red mist that emerged from the blond girl's chest. The expression on her face was frozen while she and her boulder plummeted to the ground.

With a superhuman leap Beast Boy reached Terra before she hit the ground, catching her in his arms. He felt his heart leap into his throat when he saw the size and location of her wound.

"Terra." His voice trembled. "Hang in there, we're gonna help you. Please don't die!"

Raven was at his side and quickly laid her hands on the geomancer's chest and her blue light appeared. Within just a few seconds a frown formed on her face and she stopped.

"The arrow hit her heart Gar. It's gone, there's nothing left to heal." She informed him in her monotone.

"No, no!" Beast Boy began to sob. "This can't be happening."

Terra opened her eyes. The oxygen deprivation was already taking its toll on her brain as she was beginning to experience tunnel vision. She opened her mouth and with great effort she spoke.

"BB … I'm sorry … I … I … love you."

While still cradled in Beast Boy's arms Terra Markov gave up her spirit and died.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That should keep all you Terra hater's happy!

Happy New Year to one and all. Hits have been down over the Christmas break. Did someone spike your eggnog?

Also, don't forget to read an review Ganguro, the team project I am honored to be working on.

ANd before I forget to mention it: **FelynxTiger **drew a really cool "cover page" for this story. I have a link posted to it on my profile page. You really need to check it out!

And now it's mailbag time!

**Shyguy1** - "Good chap. I thought the back and forth between Raven and BB about being Terra was kinda funny. Almost playful banter. That was a good touch. I love the kind of vibe you have in the most recent chapters. It's a bit mission impossible meets Ocean's thirteen. I still can't tell what's going to happen next. You're a very suspenseful writer. Guess that's why I like this story so much, keep ya on your toes. Keep Writing Space Cowboy."

_I like doing the banter. Of course nothing is scarier than the threat of being banished to a lumpy couch. I'm sure BB would rather snuggle up with his gray princess._

**titanfan45** - "There should be some serious fireworks when everyone stops "making nice" . Looks as though all of the characters know about each other with Raven and Beast Boy being the only possible wild cards."

_The fireworks have begun. I wonder how BB will react now that Terra has been killed. While it's true that Raven is his mate and he's 100% loyal to her, he never stopped loving Terra. _

**lpwriter4life** - "I didn't know they had programmable hologram disguises; when they did they get them? That was kinda cool how Raven disguised herself as Terra, but I like her own looks better."

_I made that up for the story, holorings 2.0 if you will._

**The Cretan** - "Awesome update. And thanks for mentioning me in the mailbag. I hope people didn't flame you over "Leap of Faith". Its one of the best crossovers I've ever read. If brainstorming leads to awesomeness you have a hurricane going on in your head. Don't ever be afraid to put a story up. Hey, I'll always read it. Loved the part with the basilisk. Can't wait to read more. Happy New Year."

_Actually there were no flames for Leap of Faith, just indifference. I'm still thinking of doing another crossover: Teen Titans/Negima! For some Reason I want Raven and EvangelineA.K. McDowell to have a cat fight. If I do this I will post it in the Titans section. Since most of you are unfamiliar with Negi Springfield and his "harem" I will take extra care to introduce them to you in the story. (You can also watch the Anime episodes on Youtube)_

**almostinsane** - "Great chapter! LOL. Loved how Raven's reaction didn't seem strange to the doorman. Just one of the people from the castle.

I can't wait to see what Andreas is up to with this tour. Thanks for writing this. God bless!"

_Well, his original plan was to capture Nightwing and friends. That has become obsolete at this point._

**xXCanaryXx** - "Haha. I luv the condom part, hilarious. And sorry Gar, Rae will never wear that ring to be Terra when you two do the 'nasty.' Lol, this chapter was hilarious. :)

Philomel chapter. Update soon!"

_Dick really was playing up his playboy image there. He sure had the concierge fooled._

**FelynxTiger** - "is good to have Batman's money by your side XD , although i would like to know what dick is planing as for Gar and Rae , first poor doorman but he search it !

when they start enter the castle i feel like in videogames uhh see you next chapter "

_Castle Wolfenstein? LOL_

_I always wondered who pays the Titans' bills. It has to be Bruce._

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "Haha BB and Rae did a Metal Gear Solid moment haha, espionage times xD And yeap well worth the wait haha anyways happy New Year and have fun watching UFC 125 on New Years at the MGM Grand ;)"

_I think that might be a first for them in fanfiction (playing spies)._

**AllYourWafflesBelongToMe** - "I never knew Nightwing has a reputation for being a playboy. And his name is DICK. XD"

Each chapter of this brilliantly-written story never fails to make my day :D Happy Holidays! "

Maybe not Nightwing, but Dick Grayson does. He is Bruce Wayne's ward after ! And thanks for the compliment! They are always appreciated.

**GreenRock** - "Nothing wets my appetite more than the prospect of a confrontation that promises to be one hell of a fireworks display.

Whatever happens, there's no doubt in my mind that there will be a few more surprises that are buried in your treasure chest.

Keep on rockin'."

_You are right, a few surprises remain!_


	21. The Book

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Beast Boy gently laid Terra's body down and looked up at Hiromi, who was levitating above the macabre looking altar.

"Never send a mundane to do a Mage's job." She taunted the green Titan.

Beast Boy felt the rage begin to swell within him. This woman, this witch had slaughtered Terra in cold blood and was laughing about it. He looked down upon Terra's dead face. This time she was gone for good, there was no hope of bringing her back like there had been last time. Terra, his first love, was dead. He caressed her cheek, which was still warm and remembered how much he had loved her, how much he had cared. How, had Slade not ruined everything when he preyed upon her weakness and insecurities, she might have become his mate, his wife.

"I love you too Terra, I'll never forget you." He whispered sotto voce.

"How touching! The Beast mourns the Beauty." Hiromi taunted him from afar.

Beast Boy's eyes turned red with outrage and he almost didn't feel Raven's soothing hand on his shoulder.

"We have to be smart about this Gar; we've already burned up a minute of Ministra Time."

"Damn! Why does it have to be so short?"

"I can give you two more minutes, but we have to use them wisely. Once it runs out I'll be useless."

He nodded his understanding.

"You take Andreas and I'll take down Hiromi."

Andreas had begun to intervene directly as his army of mages was being decimated by Li Meng and the three Titans, who were still unaware of what had happened to Terra. Raven wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a passionate kiss.

"For Terra." She said.

"And for us." He added.

Beast Boy, still in his giant form lunged at Hiromi while preparing to strike at her with his giant sword. The enchantress barely dodged his strike which demolished the altar she had been floating over. As she retreated he extended his hand and eleven arrows of ice shot out of them flying at Hiromi. She conjured a shield of fire which both blocked and melted the icy daggers.

Raven engaged Andreas, her eyes glowing black. She raised her hands and aimed then at the sorcerer, and a blast of dark energy poured out of them. Andreas raised a dark shield and blocked Raven's attack, but winced in pain from the effort. With an unspoken spell he conjured 12 decoy replicas of himself, which began to move in random directions. Raven began to fire at them, and dispatched them easily while she kept an eye out for counterattack from the real Andreas. The sorcerer had managed to sneak behind Raven and launched 11 black arrows at her. Raven sensed his deception and teleported out of harm's way.

"You are a worthy opponent Raven, it's a shame that I have to destroy you."

"You and what army Andreas?" Her disembodied voice replied.

"It doesn't have to be this way Raven! Submit to your father. He will forgive you and take you back. You can even keep your mate."

"He already offered me that. My answer still hasn't changed: GO TO HELL ANDREAS!"

Andreas grimaced at her reply, but he remained resolute in his mission.

"Have it your way Raven, but I promise you this, only one of us will walk out here alive, and you will lose no matter who that is!"

"Wanna bet!" She shouted as her tendrils reached out and nearly caught Andreas, who leaped away at the last moment, narrowly escaping capture.

By this point only two disciples were left fighting Li and the Titans, and they were more skilled than their fallen comrades. Using powerful spells they were able to deflect anything Starfire, Cyborg and Nightwing threw at them. Li charged at them, throwing several Talismans at them, which they were easily able to neutralize with their staffs.

Li slipped, falling down onto the hard surface with a loud thud and the two mages saw their opportunity to take her. She hastily got back on her feet and they pursued her, their staffs crackling with magical power they intended to discharge on her at point blank. They quickly gained on her as she continued to stumble and as they drew close the leveled their staffs at her and prepared to fire.

Then to everyone's surprise a large magic circle formed underneath the mages, displaying mysterious runes and glowing. What appeared to be living ribbons shot out of the ground. The ribbons first disarmed the mages, snapping their staffs in half and then wrapped themselves around their bodies, tightly trapping them.

"That's Western Magic!" One of the trapped mages complained.

"What? Do you think that just because I'm Chinese that I can't do Western Spells?" Li grinned in triumph. "Nightwing, you and the others help Beast Boy, I'll assist Raven!"

Nightwing nodded his agreement when Starfire shouted.

"Nightwing, Terra is injured!"

"Go to her Star, we've got Beast Boy's back." He replied as he and the tin man ran off in Beast Boy's direction.

The Tamaranian shot to the geomancer's side and immediately saw the huge hole in her chest and that she was lying in a pool of blood. She noticed that Terra's complexion was ashen, almost as gray as Raven's pale skin. With tears in her eyes she placed a finger on Terra's neck and found she had no pulse.

Starfire formed a fist which trembled uncontrollably, and it was soon followed by her jaw. Her entire body began to glow green and she threw her head back and screamed.

"NOOOOOOO!"

Everyone on the temple had to cover their ears to shield them from the Tamaranian's alien wailing. The sound of glass shattering in the distance could be heard.

Still glowing green Starfire levitated and recalled the last time she saw Terra alive. It was when Beast Boy has been fighting Hiromi. She quickly scanned the room and saw Beast Boy attacking Hiromi with his giant blade. The Japanese mage was falling back; biding her time as she knew Beast Boy's clock was ticking.

At this point something snapped in the princess's mind and she released an unbelievable barrage of starbolts. The air in the temple smelled of ozone as she fired the deadly energy bolts with the speed of Gatling gun. Hiromi raised dark shields to block the barrage and was successful. It took every bit of her concentration to block Starfire's super-Tamaranian attack and she failed to see that Beast Boy had launched seven icy sagitta magica at her. She saw them at the last moment and performing an unbelievable act of contortion and acrobatics she was able to dodge five of them, the ones which were targeting her torso.

Unfortunately for her the other two struck her, each one piercing one of her thighs. The first one passed clear through her right leg, tearing her flesh apart. The other one hit her femur, shattering it. Hiromi screamed in pain as she fell to the ground. She saw Beast Boy bearing down on her, his sword raised above his head as he was consumed with blood lust. Hiromi knew that she had been defeated and that there was only one thing she could do if she were to survive.

She pulled a talisman out of a cargo pocket in her bloodied pants and slapped it on the floor.

"Talisman, talisman, help me escape!" She intoned in warbling voice.

A dark portal opened up below her and quickly swallowed up her battered body. By the time Beast Boy's blade came crashing down the portal had closed and the sword hit the stone floor, sparks flying from the impact. Beast Boy roared his displeasure with Hiromi's cowardly escape. He then turned and searched for Raven and saw that she, along with Li Meng and the others had cornered Andreas.

Remembering that the clock was still running he shouted 'abeat' and returned to his mundane form. He quickly ran to Raven's side.

"You OK Rae?"

"Barely, where's Hiromi?"

"Star and I took her down, but she escaped into a portal. She was hurt pretty bad, I don't think she'll be coming back."

Andreas was completely surrounded, Starfire had two jumbo starbolts in her hands with his name on them, ready to use. Cyborg had his supersized cannons ready, the ones he had once used against Trigon's Slade. Nightwing had several of his bat clan weapons ready to deploy while Li Meng had her wand trained on him.

"You've lost Andreas. Now undo the curse!" Raven hissed as her entire body was shrouded in crackling dark energy.

Andreas merely grinned in reply and strutted around like an overconfident rooster.

"No … I won't" He said with an air of smugness.

"Wrong answer!" She hissed back at him. "Comply or you will learn a new meaning for the word 'pain'".

He chuckled.

"I do not fear pain Raven. It seems to me that you have two choices now. You can capture and imprison me, and I assure you that there is no prison that can hold me. I will escape. You other choice is to destroy me here and now, in which case the curse will remain and will be carried out to its exquisite final result."

He laughed maniacally before continuing.

"I win."He gloated.

Raven reached into one of her belt compartments and extracted a tiny address book, small enough to fit in the palm of her hand.

"You aren't the only one who knows curses Andreas!"

Ravens eyes glowed black as she opened the small book and displayed the blank pages to Andreas.

"Wait Raven, what are you doing?" Andreas asked.

Ignoring him Raven uttered the curse, for the second time in her life.

"Alduron … elenthra … nalthos … sola … narisnor!"

A burst of dark energy leaped off the pages of the book, enveloping Andreas's body in what appeared to be black lightning.

"No Raven, not this!"

Andreas' body dematerialized and the dark energy was drawn back into the book's pages. Raven then slammed the book shut, completing the curse. She immediately reopened the book and Andreas' terror stricken face was visible on the otherwise pristine pages.

"Please Raven, release me!"

"I'll release you when you break the curse."

"I can't betray my master, surely you must understand that."

"Then you will spend all of eternity in the book. And don't think that anyone will find it and release you, because they won't. I guarantee it."

"But this book won't last forever Raven, you know what that means?"

"Yes, I do. If the book is destroyed before you are released you will die and be trapped in limbo for all of eternity. I suggest that you think carefully about your future Andreas."

Raven slammed the book shut and slipped it back into the compartment in her jeweled belt.

"What about the other mages?" Cyborg asked. "Shouldn't we like handcuff them or something?"

"Leave them to me." Li replied. "I'm afraid that you have other business that requires your attention."

Nightwing turned towards Terra's lifeless body as Starfire embraced him and began to weep. He released her and approached the dead geomancer, dropping down onto a knee.

"I'm so sorry Terra …"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thunder rolled in the distance as a downpour blanketed the Jump City cemetery. Terra Markov was not a popular superhero, as the community at large had yet to forgive her earlier betrayal against the Titans and Jump City. It went without saying that her funeral had been lightly attended, with no one from or representing the Justice League present. No one from the Mayor's office came pay their respects either. Only Bumblebee came from Titans East and Kole and Argent were the only honorary Titans who attended. Li Meng did return from Hong Kong to pay her respects as well.

The Titans had commissioned a bronze monument for her grave, which depicted Terra as she looked when she first joined the Titans: her thin preteen figure contrasted with the more mature form she had when she died and every detail was there, down to the goggles on her head. She was standing on a boulder with her hands on her hips and a friendly smile on her face.

Terra's religious beliefs had been a mystery to her teammates as she never spoke with anyone about them, not even with Beast Boy. Because of that Nightwing recruited a Unitarian Minister to conduct the funeral ceremony. Beast Boy volunteered to give the eulogy. When the time came he stood up and stepped to the podium, carefully placing the sheets with the words he had carefully prepared by himself on the lectern.

As he looked upon the tiny assembly he felt great sorrow for his friend, she had died as a hero, twice in fact and the only thing the world wanted to remember was a really big mistake she had once made. He was wearing a black suit, as were all other males present. Starfire was wearing a long black gown and Raven wore a black version of her winter costume. Raindrops fell on the tent that shielded the funeral party with am arrhythmic pitter patter. Beast Boy cleared his throat and began.

"_Being misunderstood is a terrible thing, perhaps what we as individuals fear the most. We care about how we are perceived by others because it affects our self image. Terra was no different than any of us in this regard._

_I vividly remember the day I met Terra. She was an insecure girl with incredible powers that she couldn't control and more often than not they were a source of grief and rejection for her. She perceived herself as a failure, someone who was unworthy of being loved or even having friends._

_Terra was not alone in feeling this way. I know I have often felt like this and I'm certain that other Titans shared in these fears as well. I know that I was able to overcome these fears because of the great and wonderful friends that I have, and especially because of my dear wife Raven._

_Terra unfortunately had no one. I once tried to reach out to her and I failed, most spectacularly. Shortly after she had betrayed us, an act that I can tell you caused her great inner turmoil; she approached me and confessed her terrible mistake. My reaction was to reject her out of anger and spite. Had I not been so stupid and proud she would not have ended up being Slade's apprentice. Had I been understanding she might have returned to us, on her knees begging for forgiveness, and perhaps we wouldn't be gathered here today._

_But even after being rejected and driven into Slade's arms she was able to find her way back to the light and sacrificed herself to save the city, an act that our citizenry has never acknowledged in any way to this very day._

_So in the name of Jump City I want to thank you Terra, for all you have done. I also thank you for saving my life in Salzburg, a brave act that ended up costing you your own life._

_Terra, you once told me that I was the best friend you ever had, and when you were dying as I held you in my arms you told me that you loved me."_

Beast Boy paused before concluding.

"_I love you too Terra and I'll always miss you. Rest in peace dear friend."_

Beast Boy collected his papers and returned to his chair. Raven wrapped an arm around his shoulder and kissed him on the cheek.

It was then that they noticed that the rain had stopped pounding the tent that shielded them from the elements and the sun came out, shining brightly over the city that Terra Markov had once called home.

A door slid open and a hand reached out to the light switch, flipping it on. A long staircase became illuminated; its dull gray metal structure wound its way down into the basement.

The lone figure walked quietly down the long stair case, her footfalls barely making a sound as she slowly descended into the bowels of the Tower. After a few minutes she reached the bottom. The basement was pretty much unchanged from the days when the Tower was built. It was mostly a repository for Cyborg's collection of high tech junk and detritus and a place where old materials were archived in boxes that were stacked on industrial strength steel shelving.

What was new in the basement was a vault that Cyborg had installed shortly after they returned from Salzburg, which had been three months ago. The heavily armored safe box had a hand sensor on it and it would open for only two people.

Raven placed her hand on the sensor and the heavy reinforced steel door swung open, revealing its sparse contents. There were two steel boxes on a metal shelf, one was smaller than the other one and this was the one that Raven picked up. The box had a magic seal on it and whispering a short spell she opened it, extracting the tiny address book that served as Andreas' prison from it.

"So Andreas, have you been keeping yourself busy?"

Raven had opened the book, which revealed Andreas' angry face.

"My answer is the same as last time: Go to hell Raven."

Without saying another word she shut the book.

"I won't be back for another month, think about it Andreas. Oh and we are still looking for Hiromi …"

"Do what you want with her when she is found, I don't care about her anymore." A disembodied voice replied from the closed book.

"Always an incurable romantic, aren't you Andreas?"

"Taunt me all you desire Raven, for you see time is on my side. The curse will do its work, in fact it already has been, and you just don't know it yet."

"I understand that limbo can be a boring place Andreas. I will be back next month. Goodbye Andreas."

As Raven placed the tiny book back into its metal box Andreas got the last word.

"Feeling gray lately Raven?"

Raven sealed the metal box shut with another spell and placed it back on the shelf. As she prepared to leave she took a glance at the other larger box and picked it up. She paused for a minute, debating whether or not to open it, before placing it back on the shelf, still locked and unopened.

_Even if he can help, there's no way I can set him free, and that's what he'll demand for in payment._

Raven trudged back up the stairs, pondering Andreas' closing words.

_Feeling gray lately Raven?_

She shook away the thought; he was no doubt taunting her over her premature gray hairs, which were now multiplying even though Beast Boy had said nothing more about it. She picked up the pace as she climbed, as it was almost time for her quarterly physical checkup and she knew that Cyborg would be waiting for her. She was nervous about this checkup, because she had a new question for Cyborg, one she had never asked before.

Could she and Gar have children?

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Andreas is captured and not cooperating while Hiromi remains on the lam. Poor Raven, nothing seems to go her way!

My much enjoyed Christmas break ends today dear readers, so the pace of my updates will slow, especially since I started a second story: Trouble in Mahora.

Thanks for all your many reviews. And now it's time to acknowledge those of you who are kind enough to take a moment to review. _**It's mailbag time!**_

**Bigguido** - "Great chapter got some battling going on major character death bad guy monologue cant wait to read on"

_I hope that Andreas' capture wasn't too anticlimactic._

**LoveBassClarinet** - "So I'm expecting a really epic battle sequence in which the Titans miraculously manage to beat the snot out of Andreas and convince him to give them a cure.

Wouldn't it be a ridiculous twist if there really was no curse and it was just made up to cause Raven lots of heartache and stress, thereby giving her an early death...

:O What if the spell's target was Raven, not Beast Boy?

And how did Terra die when Beast Boy's supposed to be having kids with her in the future..."

_It was a false vision, built upon Raven's fears and nothing more._

**The Cretan** - "A great way to bring in the New Year. Hated seeing Terra go but battles have a way of causing casualties. I'm interested to see what they do to avenge it. Awesome update. I'm interested in your new crossover idea, (crossovers are one of my things you know). It sounds interesting. I'm not the most familiar with mangas though. Do you have any to recommend? I have to travel a good ways to find mangas or animes, so I have very little knowledge other than what I catch on TV at odd times."

_You can buy manga and anime online, even used, at Amazon, also many libraries carry manga and anime titles. The Teen Titans cartoon show has some VERY heavy anime influences._

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "Oh shit, oh shit, Gar will go in a Berserker Rampage now as a Beast especially Terra's sacrifice, I think he will so embrace the Power of The Beast, no holding back. He will be so ripping Hiromi's and Andreas's head and put it as a trophy."

_You weren't to far off! BB was about to hack Hiromi in half (good thing he didn't) _

**titanfan45** - "Terra is a huge loss to the Titans as she proved to be a valuable member dispite her mistakes. Her death certainly negates Raven's earlier vision of Terra and Beast Boy having a child together in the future. No doubt the Titans are really going to kick some bad guy butt as payback for killing a Titan."

_I was really tempted to have Hiromi bite the dust._

**lpwriter4life** - "While I prefer a BBRae pairing, I think I may be one of the few people who don't hate Terra. She was just an insecure, confused girl who had her feelings manipulated by Slade. It's HIS fault she ended up turning to stone and losing her powers when she was freed, if you ask me. Anyway, great chapter. Happy New Year and update soon."

_I think some people will hate me for Terra's eulogy._

**Shyguy1** - "I've always hated Terra, even now that she's dead I can't really feel sorry for her. Meanwhile, this situation with Andreas is quite the predicament. However, I feel as though he doesn't have all the power that he thinks he does. I don't feel like you're the type to have some random hero just pop in out of nowhere and save the day. I'd be willing to bet that someone's allegiance has yet to be decided."

_Andreas has his trump card. Will the fear of an eternity in Limbo shake him up though?_

**Author Penholder** - "an anticlimactic end to Terra and a lack luster start to the battle but hey you have to save SOMETHING for future chapters, right? I notice Raven isn't being drained like usual when Beastboy taps into her power. How'd they manage that?"

_As you mentioned the battle had only just begun, so there was still time left on the clock. And of course cocky Andreas never stood a chance. But the curse remains in place..._

**GreenRock** - "Well, I for one am gutted that Terra had to perish in such an awful fashion (at least she's got one fan). However, he death has led to a number of possible outcomes in the next chapter. I am going to love to see how the Titans - BB in particular - will react to this event.

According to my invisible crystal ball, things do not look as though they are going to get any easier or better from here on in."

_I've always felt sorry for Terra. Beast Boy will miss her._

**Thowell3** - "For some weird reason "ding dong the witch is dead" came to mind when I read that Terra was dead."

_Ah, you're mean! LOL! _

**FelynxTiger** - "holly DC'characters

terra's dead has bring an other interesting twist to the story,

well done with the fighting scene there

Dr light LOL the poor guy will always have a bad reputation as a villian"

_Thanks for the artwork, I updated the chapter to mention it. I also posted a link to it on my profile page._

**xXCanaryXx** - "Amazing Chapter, not that I expect any less from you.

Now not all Terra haters hate her THAT much. I feel a bit sad. Why do you make me guilty for hating her? Haha, just kidding. I just don't hate her entirely. When she acts evil i do, but at times even she can be a good person.

Well, forgetting the topic of Terra, I would like to say this chapter was excellent. :) (Annnd back to Terra) I cannot believe she is...d-dead. It scares me in a way.. sort of. Although I am a bit peeved at the fact she said she loved Garfield. Because she should've gotten over him after the years... but if you love someone you'll do anything for them. :) Even if peeved I'm still the teeniest bit sad.

Yes, Happy New Year! May your resolution come true and your entire year be filled with blessings.

God Bless!"

_I had to have Terra tell him that she loved him. Yeah, it makes things messy, but life is messy. What can I say?_

**Mors101** - "A death! Well, in a story like this, even the good guys will take a few hits I guess. I was suspecting that Terra would turn traitor, again, but I guess I was wrong.

Anyway, a great story. I look forward to the continuation to this climax. I wonder how Beast Boy and Raven solved the time constraint on his Magi form? "

_Like I said above, they didn't run out of time. The battle ended quickly._

**almostinsane** - "Great chapter! Poor Terra... At least she died quickly. Now, Beast Boy's sure going to put the hurt on. Thanks for writing this. God bless! "

_Thanks. As most of you are guessing, we're moving into another section of the story: dealing with the curse (unless we can get Andreas to break it!)_


	22. Gray hairs

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You're late." Cyborg teased Raven as she entered the infirmary. "You're never late."

"I apologize. I was … detained."

The cybernetic hero knew perfectly well where Raven was and what she was doing.

"No sweat, why don't you get changed? And you can leave you're underpants on, the ob-gyn didn't come today."

"That's a relief." Raven replied as she stepped into the changing room, from where she promptly emerged dressed in a hospital gown.

"I see you ordered the new 'crack free' gowns. It's nice not having a draft back there."

Cyborg grabbed his clipboard as Raven sat down on the examination table. He couldn't help but notice that her silver colored hairs were multiplying. He recalled that Trigon's hair was white and ventured a guess that this was normal for Raven and said nothing about it.

"So how are you feeling?" He asked her.

Raven was staring at the floor and looked up at her 'big brother'.

"Physically I feel fine."

"Any aches or pains?"

"None."

Cyborg put his clipboard down.

"You know the drill."

Raven reclined onto the table as Cyborg examined her joints and the muscles on her arms and legs, twisting them around. He then poked around her abdomen, searching for any unexpected lumps and found none.

"Let's get some x-rays."

Raven was already a step ahead of him. She did know the drill. After the X-rays there was a stress test on a treadmill, followed by an ultrasound test. He then examined her eyes, nasal passages and ears.

"I just need some blood samples and we'll be done."

Raven watched passively as Cyborg inserted the needle into her arm, from which he filled up a few vials. As soon as he removed the needle Raven applied her blue light to her arm and the needle hole healed instantly. The tin main then inserted the vials into an automatic blood analyzer. The results would be ready in a few minutes. Meanwhile, Raven stepped back into the changing room. When she emerged dressed in her costume Cyborg was reading the results of the blood work.

"Well Raven, as usual you're fit as a fiddle. Congratulations, I guess we're done here."

Raven sat back down in the examination table with a reluctant expression on her face.

"Victor, there's something else I want to ask."

Cyborg couldn't hide the curiosity from the human half of his face.

"What is it?"

"I'll get to the point. Is it possible for Gar and I to have children?"

"Well, I guess that is the assumption. The OB did prescribe you pills. You have been taking them, right?"

"Yes, I have, but that doesn't mean that it's possible for us to conceive. Neither of us has a conventional genome."

"I see your point Raven. Unfortunately I don't have the gear to do that kind of test. But I'm sure that if I send a tissue sample to STAR labs they could tell us. Actually all I would need are saliva samples from you and BB."

"I understand. Please proceed." She replied in her monotone.

"Are you sure? What if the results aren't what you want?"

Raven kept her blank poker face on and tried to hide her concern. Cyborg knew her too well and could read the stray lines of emotion that escaped.

"Then I'll have to deal with it."

Cyborg stared at his brave adoptive sister. She had come to terms with the fact that Andreas' curse remained in place, like Damocles' Sword hanging over her and Beast Boy's head. He reasoned that the last thing she needed to hear now was that she was barren.

"I have a gut feeling you guys will be fine. Why don't you just stop taking the pill and let nature take its course?"

"I'd rather know for certain." She replied.

Cyborg nodded.

"Why don't you call BB and ask him to come here? That way I can get both samples at the same time. I'll ship them out today via FedEx."

Raven nodded.

"Thanks Victor."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The sound of an electric toothbrush whirred in the background while Beast Boy, clad only in a pair of boxers stretched out in the king size bed he shared with his wife. He bookmarked the current page on the manga book he was reading and tossed it on the nightstand just as Raven emerged from the bathroom, her nightly preparations complete. She was wearing an oversized green T shirt with the Titans logo on it and was barefoot. She slipped into the bed and snuggled up next to him, resting her head on his shoulder and wrapping an arm around him. Even though Salzburg was in the past and they had been home for three months now she still found great comfort in being home, the familiarity of her room and bed felt like a shield from everything that troubled her..

Not all had been harmonious in the Tower though. Nightwing and Starfire had been arguing over where to have their wedding. Nightwing wanted to have it in the Tower, with Raven officiating. Starfire would have none of that and wanted to have it held on Tamaran with all the pomp and circumstance that went with the territory. In fact they had just been arguing for the umpteenth time in the common room, this time late in the evening when the Logans excused themselves and headed off to their room. As the sleepy couple got cozy he kissed her.

"A baby huh? We'd be the first Titans to have a kid." He remarked.

"So you're open to the idea?"

"You bet, our life would sure change, wouldn't it?"

"I'd say it's already changed, even vertiginously, if you ask me." She replied.

He gave her a warm smile.

"I think you'll be the best mom ever."

"You really think so? You don't think I'll be too harsh or cold to our children?"

"Of course not." He replied in a reassuring tone. "Wait, did you say children? How many are we talking about here?"

Raven laughed softly.

"I really don't know, I guess we'll figure that out as we move forward."

"If I know Star she'll make a contest out of it. She'll want to be the undisputed 'bumgorf' queen of the Tower."

"She's welcome to that title of she really wants it."

A small laugh escaped the changeling's lips.

"What's so funny Gar?"

"They are. I haven't seen Star so peeved with Robin since he said she wasn't his girlfriend on that space station. You'd think he'd learn by now."

"I know what you mean Gar. Everyone seems to think that they're the perfect couple, while we aren't. Have you seen the local tabloids recently? Not only do they insist in calling us the "creepy couple", they keep publishing that you and Terra were an item and that you were cheating on me. It's like they want us to fail."

"Yeah, well it just goes to show what a bunch of clueless jerks they are." He replied as he pulled her T shirt off, exposing her to the nighttime air in the bedroom.

"You're eager tonight." She teased him in her monotone. "Then again you always are, my lustful mate."

He gave her a warm, yet seductive smile.

"I guess all this talk about making a baby has turned me on."

Raven gave him a doubtful look.

"I thought that babies scared guys."

"Not this guy." He grinned. "I want to knock you up."

"My, aren't you the incurable romantic. Anyway we won't know until the lab results come back, and if they are positive we have to wait two months after I stop taking my contraceptives. So you won't be doing any 'knocking up' anytime soon, my green Romeo."

He smiled slyly at her.

"Would you settle for a 'baby drill'?"

"I'd say that we've had plenty of practice already."

"Ah, but practice makes perfect! Right? I mean you can't have too much of a good thing."

Raven playfully shoved him away.

"If you're horny, just say so. You don't need to make excuses with me."

"Are you?"

"I asked you first."

"Ok, I am. But it's your fault for being so damn hot."

Raven smiled at her lustful husband.

"Lucky thing you're irresistible." She replied as she turned off the lights.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The sound of dishes being laid on the table echoed throughout the common room as Nightwing and Starfire were busy setting the table for lunch, which was predictably pizza. The "cute couple" had finally made peace with each other by agreeing to hold two weddings, an early one in the Tower at which Raven would officiate and the Royal Wedding at a later date on Tamaran, a date Nightwing hoped to postpone inevitably as he really didn't care for Galfore and his group of sycophants.

Other than the fact that peace and quiet once again reigned in the common room Raven didn't care what they had agreed on, she was happy the bickering had stopped. Beast Boy was playing a new game on the GameStation, wearing headphones to not break the precious peace his wife was enjoying as she sat next to him on the crescent shaped couch.

The only thing that was bothering Raven was that there had been no news from Star Labs in over 4 weeks. She had stopped taking her birth control pills as she reasoned that regardless of the lab results she wouldn't need them anymore. Still she was beginning to feel irritated by the delay and while she had not pestered Cyborg to find out what was taking them so long the truth was that the uncertainty was beginning to eat away at her.

Uncertainty had become a way of life for her. What was puzzling about the curse was how ineffective it seemed to be. Her vision of Terra stealing her husband from her proved to be false in a very unfortunate way. Even stranger was the overall lack of danger they had been in since returning from Salzburg. Missions had been few and they were against lightweights like Mumbo and Control Freak.

Raven stared out the large picture windows while pretending to read the book that was on her lap. The bay sparkled like it always did on a sunny afternoon, looking cheerful and inviting. She was actually experiencing a moment of inner peace when with no warning she felt a shiver go down her spine just as the doors to the room slipped open. A distracted and out of sorts Cyborg entered the room, carrying a sheaf of papers in his right hand. Raven noticed that they had the STAR Labs logo on them and locked eyes with the Tin Man.

"So, is there any news Cyborg?" She asked.

"Yes, there finally is." He replied with a gloomy voice.

Raven elbowed her mate, who paused his videogame and removed his headphones.

"Cyborg finally has news." She reported.

"If you guys want we can discuss this in private."

"We're a family Cyborg; you can give us the bad news here. I'm sterile, correct?" She asked in her monotone.

Cyborg shook his head in surprise as he handed her a sheet of paper with the official results. He sat down on the circular couch before proceeding.

"No, you guys can have a baby, you both fertile and compatible."

"Yo tin man! That's good news, so why the gloomy face? You know that we don't expect you to change diapers." The changeling complained.

Cyborg sat down, no longer able to hide the sadness that he was feeling.

"They found something else."

Raven became bug eyed.

"I knew it! I knew that all this peace and tranquility was too good to be true. What's wrong with Gar Cyborg? What kind of disease does he have?"

Cyborg shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"There's nothing wrong with him Raven, he's fine…" Cyborg replied in a weak voice.

"You mean something's wrong with Rae? What is it?" Beat Boy asked, it was now his turn to be alarmed.

Raven stared stupefied at the cybernetic Titan. She noticed that he was wiping a tear away from his human eye.

"They found an anomaly in Raven's genome."

"What kind of anomaly?" She asked, no longer able to conceal her worry. "What's wrong with me Cyborg?"

Nightwing and Starfire were slack jawed, the pizza in the kitchen was forgotten and getting cold.

"Raven's aging too fast, way too fast."

"How fast is too fast?" Beast Boy asked.

"According to the report she's aging a year every two to three weeks or so. She's already 27 or 28 years old now." He answered dejectedly.

A collective gasp was heard.

"Which means I have 2 years left to live." Raven announced in her monotone. "There is no cheating the curse, I should have known better."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That was a shorter chapter, but now the cat is out of the bag.

I hope that wasn't too predictable, I did drop a few hints along the way.

And now its mailbag time!

**Baconbitz** - "Definately a great story, the progression is great and the story itself is a real nail biter! I'm sure I speak for all the readers when I say I'm most definately looking forward to the next chapter."

_Keep biting those nails. What's going to happen to Raven?_

**RainingHearts4Ever** - "UPDATE ASAP! PLZZ! it is such an awesome story!"

_Thanks!_

**xXCanaryXx** - "As always, this was an amazing chapter.

Oh tis sad that this tale might be nearing its end.

But I am very sad that Terra IS officially dead.

I'm happy that Andreas is finally captured, but the stubborn fool won't end the curse.

And Hiromi is still on the loose ... somewhere.

Wow, Rae wants kids.

Wouldn't expect her to be the child type...

Though she did take care of Timmy Teether and Melvin.

Well we shall see what your creative mind will come up with :D

Can't wait til next chapter!

Update Soon!"

_I think that Raven proved she has maternal instincts in "Hide and Seek". She even referred to them as "my kids"._

**The Cretan** - "Thanks for the info. I appreciate it. I'm interested in checking out this Negima you've mentioned. This might be the best written chapter. You write awesome battles. And that has to be one of the most heart wrenching funeral scenes I've read. While I'll always believe Terra is one the Titans greatest enemies, her worth as a hero is often underappreciated. You pull it off like a pro. Can't wait to read more."

_I felt that this chapter was kind of weak, except perhaps for the bombshell. One warning about becoming a Negima! junkie (like me): There are already 28 books published in the manga and they aren't even close to being done._

**FelynxTiger** - " Excellent spech for Gar's part i think u give away really good the emotions that Gar was trying to show as for how he fell for Terra

not that i have to say much but it almost made cry

the battle as always a good development and with a lot of action!

see u next ch."

_Thanks, I really worked hard on that Eulogy. I wanted it to sound real but at the same time not too mushy._

**AllYourWafflesBelongToMe** - "Great way to start the year with some fireworks! Andreas is finally captured and Hiromi remains missing and could Rae be pregnant? And BB's eulogy was really nice.

Awesome chapter you got here! Looking forward to the next chapter!"

_A little spoiler: Hiromi will be back._

**lpwriter4life** - "I thought the eulogy was beautiful :D I wonder, did any of what I said about Terra in Chapter 20 have an influence on it?

Personally, I think Raven should torture Andreas while he is trapped in the book in order to make him break the curse."

_She certainly has an incentive now to torture Andreas. He says he doesn't fear pain though. Might he be bluffing? And I had already planned the eulogy way before, but it wouldn't be unreasonable to say that you had some influence._

**titanfan45** - "Even after all that Terra has done, she deserved better from Jump City and the JLA. At least the Titans cared enough to give her a respectful funeral. Andreas deserves to rot in that book."

_I think this story is proof that life isn't fair, and that those who do good should never expect to be rewarded for their deeds._

**still too old for this** - "Force,

You're getting too far ahead of me. I can't match a chapter every two days.

Nice, in a sad sweet way. Personally, I'm not the Terra hater that so many are. OK, in the comics, she was a REAL #$%&#, in the show, she was more confused and insecure. Always felt sorry for her (and BB, of course, first love, etc.) Still, her sacrifice and BB's resulting attack were well done. Question, did you bring her back simply to have a death in the 'final' battle? In essence, red shirting her?

Eulogy was excellent, although I question a couple of words (Raven must have helped him). Somehow, I can't see BB ever saying 'vividly', just a personal quirk of mine.

And so Andreas is locked in a book. And Raven is getting more gray-haired by the minute. She wants children. If she and BB don't hurry, she'll be past child-bearing years very soon. Hmm, interesting, will the child suffer accelerating age as the mother does, especially as this is a magically inflicted condition? The possibilities are staggering.

Looking forward to the next chapter tomorrow (Wednesday? Whenever)."

_Like I said, Christmas break is over, so the updates will be less frequent._

_You and a few others had the true nature of the curse figured out early on._

_And you're right, the possibilities are staggering._

_And yes, Terra was a "red shirt" in this story._

**LoveBassClarinet** - "Is Raven even going to be alive long enough to have kids? :O

I thought Terra's eulogy was very well written too. A lot of people just focus on the whole betrayal thing and completely skip over her perspective."

_We'll have to wait and see what happens. Should Raven have a baby if she knows that she's going to die soon?_

**almostinsane** - "Great chapter! LOL. Honestly, there's a simple solution. Get Batman. He's the best at interrogating criminals and putting the fear in them. Thanks for writing this. God bless!"

_Or better yet, turn him over to the scare crow!_

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "If that Mofo Andreas doesn't undo the Curse, Rae just let Gar in the Book and be on Beast Mode while in there beating the snot outta Andreas until that filthy and lowly servant of Trigon undo the curse."

_The problem is that Andreas is nuts. Still, you'd think he has some weakness._

**GreenRock** - "For me, the scent of death is still lingering in this story and I have a strong suspicion that Terra's passing is not going to be the only passing in this story . . . and considering the previous chapters, I have no idea who they will be.

Who knows how many chapters will proceed this is one, but no matter how many there are, no doubt they will be of a great quality."

_Well, you guessed right, now it's Raven who is confronting her mortality. Danger lurks everywhere! Wil Raven be saved?_

**Shyguy1** - "Great chap. Malchior would probably be of help. He probably knows of some way to weasle the info out of Andreas. I just don't think that they should trust Malchior. Anyway, I'm glad that Raven isn't the jealous type or all this talk about Terra would really get under her skin. I just can't feel sorry for Terra, it's not that I hate her, I just really don't like her and I'm always kinda suspicious of her. I'd wish for her to have a less painful death, but I'm not sorry that she's dead."

_It will be tempting now to seek help from the wretched worm. Maybe they could set him free on the Citadel or Gordania?_

**Weird Romantic Gal** - "Very interesting chapter. The eulogy was emotionally powerful and true to Beast Boy's character (considering the fact that all of the Titans have matured over the course of the series and this story). I was surprised to see your solution for Andreas for two reasons: 1) Many of the fics I read don't deal with villians who need such a capture (the ones that do end up with the bad guys' deaths); and 2) no one ever seems to even mention the curse unless Malchior is being discussed, but it's still not ever used.

I apologize for my rambling-my tendency to do so is one of the reasons I rarely review stories.

I look forward to the rest of your tale."

_I always liked how Raven recaptured Malchior, so I reused that curse._


	23. A Sliver of Hope

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The common room fell silent after Raven's ominous pronouncement. Nightwing and Starfire were simply stunned. Beast Boy began to choke back his tears while Cyborg continued to look gloomy. Finally Raven broke the silence.

"How is this happening?"

"Telomeres." The tin man replied. "Your Telomeres are wearing down at an abnormally high rate Raven."

"I see." She replied calmly. "Do they know why?"

Cyborg shuffled through the remaining papers in his hand.

"They think it's some kind of virus that's attacked your genes, custom made for you."

"So it's not magical in nature?" Beast Boy added.

Cyborg sighed.

"They aren't sure. The virus seems to defy the laws of physics. They've been experimenting with counter viruses, but it doesn't seem to work, even though it should."

"So there's no hope." Raven interjected.

"No! There has to be a way! If my parents could find a way to stop the sakutia virus there has to be a way to stop this!"

"That's what STAR Labs is suggesting: since they can't defeat the virus they want to find a way to trick it, just like the way the virus in BB's body was tricked."

"So there is a solution!" Nightwing beamed.

"Maybe, according to this report it's a long shot, but it's all we got. And even if it works it won't undo the current damage." Cyborg corrected him. "Raven will have to travel to Metropolis and stay at STAR Labs while they create treatments for her. She might be there for a while."

"What about Andreas?" Starfire asked. "We must force him to break the spell. Allow me to persuade him! Raven, I wish for you to put me into the book."

Raven shook her head.

"It's too dangerous Starfire. He still had his powers, and can use them inside the book. You would be outmatched by him. And besides, being trapped in that book with no hope of escape has had no effect on him. He won't budge." Raven added.

"Maybe we just need to be more 'persuasive', if you catch my drift." Cyborg added.

Nightwing appeared startled at the suggestion.

"We're talking about torture here; we've never tortured anyone before. I'm not we sure could do it …"

"I could." The changeling replied in a deep, guttural voice.

Raven shook her head.

"No, you can't do that Gar, it would destroy you. You'd never be the same afterwards."

"And what about you Rae? We don't have time! What if STAR Labs can't find a solution?"

"We don't have any choice Gar, Andreas won't break the spell. He knows that he'll end up in limbo if he doesn't, and he still won't do it."

"Limbo?" Starfire asked.

Raven proceeded to explain to her teammates how if the book were to be destroyed with Andreas still inside that he would end up stuck in limbo for eternity.

"And he understands this?" Nightwing asked.

"He does." Raven replied. "I supposed that he believes Trigon will rescue him from there. The fool refuses to accept that he is an expendable pawn in my father's schemes, just as Slade was. Of course Trigon can be very persuasive; my very existence is proof of that."

Beast Boy took her hand.

"That's not true Rae; you aren't just a tool your father created. You're so much more than that."

"Beast Boy speaks the truth Raven, for you are our friend and we love you." Starfire added.

Raven acknowledged the Tamaranian's remark with a nod.

"Thank you Starfire." She then turned to Cyborg.

"How soon can we leave for STAR Labs?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was quiet in the hot springs, as it was very late in the evening; the slender woman had cleaned herself at one of the washing stations on the side of the secluded springs before entering the large pool of naturally heated water, which had a slight smell of sulfur. It was a small resort, in the foothills of the Japanese countryside, somewhat exclusive in who could book a room there.

The woman had been a customer before, although she had used a different name in the past. She had registered this time as Misora Kurazaki, but the small staff at the tiny resort knew that wasn't her real name, but they did not object nor ask why Hiromi Ayase had checked in under an assumed identity. They figured that she had her reasons and left it at that. She was a frequent customer in the past and one who always tipped very generously, so they weren't about to question why she was using a false name

What they did notice was that she had some strange scars on her legs, and that she spent a lot of time in the medicinal hot springs, 3 times a day. They were also polite enough to look away when she limped. Her limp slowly faded during her 3 month stay.

She kept to herself, meditating in her room when she wasn't eating or bathing. She had much to meditate about, as the events in Salzburg were still vivid in her mind.

She could still see the changeling, in his altered Ministra form bearing down on her with his massive magical blade. The pain from the wounds in her legs had been excruciating and it had taken every single ounce of her willpower to summon the escape portal, which had arrived just in the nick of time.

She had not teleported far away. Unknown to even Andreas, Hiromi had a safe house of her own in Salzburg. It was a small apartment in a working class neighborhood she had rented disguised as a middle aged Austrian woman. In the past she only went there to meditate and make talismans. She had a table and the traditional Japanese brushes and ink which she used to paint the magical inscriptions on the rice paper rectangles. She had a large inventory of completed talismans, which she kept sorted and catalogued in a large cabinet with dozens of shallow drawers.

She materialized into the sparsely furnished living room and dragged herself to the cabinet, leaving a trail of blood behind her on the cheap laminate imitation wood floor. More than once she felt that she was about to pass out but summoning her willpower she continued crawling, knowing that if she lost consciousness that she would bleed to death. After a monumental effort she reached the cabinet and opening the bottom drawer she extracted several healing talismans, which she placed on her wounds, held in place by her own blood.

"Talismans, talismans, heal my wounds." She whispered softly as she finally fainted. The talismans did their trick and stopped the bleeding. As she rested the magic worked its way through her legs, healing the broken bones and torn issue.

She woke several hours later in a state of utter confusion. She was famished and prepared herself a simple meal of instant Ramen noodles. As she ate she turned on the laptop computer she kept in her safe house and opened a web browser to the local newspaper's website.

There was a report of a disturbance at the Von Zweig castle, which indicated that the Teen Titans had confronted Andreas and that he was reported as missing. Details were sketchy but the report did note that one of the Titans, Terra Markov, had been murdered by the Viscountess, who remained at large.

Hiromi still felt weak, but she knew she had to escape without delay, as she was no longer safe in Salzburg. She pulled a large satchel out of a closet and packed it with some clothes, money and talismans.

Before she prepared to conjure another portal she placed several talismans around her apartment. They would ignite minutes after she left, incinerating the contents of her apartment, and possibly the whole building while making it appear that it was an electrical short circuit that caused the fire. She would leave no clues behind of the safe house. After placing the final talisman on the floor another portal appeared. She looked out the window of her apartment one last time, taking a final look at the castle and stepped into the portal and disappeared.

The fire destroyed the entire apartment building and claimed several lives, including two small children.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The T-Ship landed on the rooftop helipad on top of the main building at STAR Labs. Its three passengers were Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy. It was snowing heavily and Raven's mood matched the storm. She was going to check into STAR Labs Advanced Projects Clinic. During the flight to Metropolis Cyborg's father had contacted them, informing the trio that an initial experimental treatment was ready, one that would redirect the virus' activities to certain regions of Ravens body, isolating it where it couldn't cause any harm.

As they disembarked and entered the research facility Raven noticed that the hairs on Beast Boy's neck were standing. She knew that he had bad memories of his younger days, after his parent's death, when he became a ward of the state and was treated like a lab specimen and had been held prisoner in a lab that was not all that different from this one. He had shared this dark moment in his past with no one but her.

In spite of his phobias he insisted on being with her during her treatment. He had told her that nothing was worse than being alone in a lab, constantly being pricked by needles, feeling abandoned and unloved.

Raven knew she was fortunate to have someone like him in her life, and she fully understood the cold embrace of loneliness, as she had experienced it first hand when she left Azarath for Earth. She remembered when she lived in the shadows, lonely, ashamed of herself and of her heritage. She had been hiding in the shadows on that fateful day when she witnessed an enraged, confused and out of control Starfire trying to kill Robin. She had been immensely grateful and relieved to have been embraced by the rag tag group of teens that became her family. Little did she know back then that the jumpy, impish green boy would someday become her spouse.

She took his hand and squeezed it.

"Thanks for coming with me Gar, I know you hate these kinds of places."

He gave her his signature grin.

"I'd go anywhere for you Rae."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Logans and Cyborg were greeted at the helipad by Cyborg's father, Dr. Silas Stone. The Logans had never met the scientist before. Like his son, the elder Stone had a large, athletic build and unlike him he had a calm and soothing demeanor. He greeted his son with a hug.

"It's good to see you again son. You've been gone for a long time."

Cyborg looked away from his father.

"Yeah, I know, I've been busy."

His father placed a comforting hand on his bionic shoulder.

"I understand, a lot has been going on in your life."

Raven and her mate watched with envy as father and son embraced. Raven's words on the day she destroyed her father echoed in her mind: 'fathers raise you … fathers protect you'. A tear dripped down her cheek as she mourned that she never had a real father.

Beast Boy stared, watching Victor and his father together brought back painful memories for him. Again, Raven was the only Titan he had ever shared the story of his parents death, of seeing them alive for the last time as they fell over the waterfall and perished. He too felt cheated by fate, and wondered if that was his sorry lot in life, to be repeatedly cheated of happiness.

People often thought that the Chromatically Challenged Couple™ were an "odd" couple with little in common. But not even their teammates understood that they shared a tragic past that had buried them in loneliness, guilt and pain. The changeling knew that no one else could have been his mate. Terra came close as she also had a tragic and lonely past, but her innate infidelity would have made her a poor choice for him. His destiny was with his grey goddess, and should he lose her he knew there would be no replacement for her, ever.

"Dad, these are Raven and Beast Boy."

The middle aged scientist shook hands with the Logans.

"Silas Stone, at your service." He smiled warmly. "Victor tells me that you're newlyweds. I married my Elinore when we both very young. It was the best decision I ever made. If you follow me I'll show you to your quarters where you can leave your luggage. After that we can head straight for the lab to commence your treatment."

The 'quarters' was basically an office that had been converted into a bedroom. It had a small bathroom attached to it and was furnished with a queen sized bed, a freestanding wardrobe, a desk and a TV.

"The treatments will be exhausting for you Raven; you'll probably be spending most of your spare time recovering while sleeping."

After dropping of their luggage they were led to a conference room where they met three more scientists, all wearing white lab coats. As they entered the conference room they were greeted by the project lead, Dr. Colette Winter. After the introduction was complete Dr. Winter started a PowerPoint presentation which described the treatment process. It was going to be "interesting" to say the least. Raven was going to be connected to a dialysis like machine that would extract her blood, remove the virus from it and replace it with a dummy virus that would hopefully keep the curse confused into "believing" that it was still active. In order to preserve the subterfuge it was decided that the virus would be left intact in one function of her body: hair growth. The plan was to return Raven's body to a near normal aging process, while letting her hair follicles to continue with the rapid aging. This of course meant that she would soon be solid gray and would eventually become bald. Everyone in the room agreed that it was a reasonable trade off, even Raven.

The rest of the presentation described how Raven would have to be submerged in a special serum solution during the virus replacement. It would discolor her skin, giving her a jaundiced look that would be temporary, and that she would be unconscious during the treatments, which would be 8 in total and would take 4 hours each.

"So are you ready to begin Raven?" Dr. Winter asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." She agreed.

Dr. Winter led her and Beast Boy to a room where Raven changed into a hospital gown and had several catheters and electrodes inserted into her body. Once that was done she and Beast Boy emerged into the lab, where Cyborg and the other scientists were waiting. As they watched the catheters were connected to the virus substitution machine and the electrodes to an electrocardiograph. Raven was the placed in an underarm harness while her husband watched with an uneasy expression. Finally, a breathing mask was placed over her face.

"Go ahead and take some deep breaths." One of physicians instructed her.

Raven complied and after a few breaths her head slumped forward and she slouched into the harness. Dr. Winter nodded and a technician, operating what seemed like a small crane lifted her and lowered her in to a large, glass walled vat of yellow fluid.

"All systems are within parameters. She's sleeping like a baby." Another scientist announced.

Beast Boy cautiously approached the vat, placing his gloved hand on it. Raven's hair floated in the solution and her expression looked tranquil. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You should go rest Mr. Logan; she'll be disoriented when she wakes up and will need your undivided attention. Perhaps you might want to get a bite to eat; the cafeteria should still be serving lunch." Dr. Winter suggested.

"Come on green bean, there's nothing we can do here. The cafeteria here is really good, and I'll buy."

Beast Boy looked back at Raven's submerged figure, which appeared to float lifelessly, unable to conceal the sorrow in his eyes.

"She's in good hands B."

The changeling nodded and followed his buddy out of the room, turning around several times to gaze at Raven who was floating like an unborn child in the glass womb.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Beast Boy poked at his food with a fork. Cyborg was right; the cafeteria did prepare a decent meal, even for vegetarians. But the green Titan couldn't take his mind off of Raven.

"Your food's gonna get cold B."

The changeling looked up at his friend.

"What am I going to do Cy?"

"About what B?"

"What if this doesn't work? What if I lose her?"

"We're not gonna lose her B."

"How can you be so sure? Think about it, I always lose the people I love. My parents, Terra and now Raven…" He replied as he choked back his tears.

Cyborg placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We gotta have faith man. The doctors have a plan, a really good plan. My dad thinks it'll work, and so do I. Raven's always been my little sister, and no sister of mine is a quitter. She's gonna make it man. If I was you I'd be more worried about her becoming bald."

"She isn't vain Cy." He replied as he shoved a forkful of food into his mouth.

"I know man, she's the best, and that's why she's gonna overcome this and you guys are gonna have a whole bunch of kids."

"A whole bunch?"

Cyborg chuckled.

"Hey man, someday we really are gonna be too old for this. We're gonna need replacements you know."

Beast Boy shook his head and laughed.

"We'll do our best Tin Man. No promises on large numbers though, that's up to Rae."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Raven stirred as she slowly regained consciousness. The first thing she noticed was a rank and fetid smell. She opened her eyes and saw two emerald orbs staring down at her.

"Hey."

"Hey." She replied. She looked around and noticed she was resting in a gurney in their temporary bedroom. "Oh Azar, I reek."

"Yeah, it's that stuff you were floating in. The shower's ready for you."

Raven slowly sat up, groaning as every muscle in her body screamed bloody murder.

"How do you feel Rae?"

"Lousy, and that's an understatement." She paused. "I'm gonna need your help in the shower, I feel really weak."

"No problem. Your wish is my command."

Raven managed to muster a smile.

"You just wanna see me naked."

"Well duh! But I really do want to help Rae."

She patted his hand.

"I know, now help me get to the bathroom. I need a shower in the worst way possible."

The changeling lovingly bathed his wife and helped her dress up after they were done. Just as they finished up there was a knock on the door.

"Room service!" Cyborg's voice called out.

Beast Boy opened the door and let their teammate enter. Cyborg placed a tray on the desk, along with cooler full of drinks, a grocery bag full of munchies and a brand new copy of 'Wicked Scary 3'.

"I'm heading home with my dad; we'll back first thing in the morning. How ya feeling Raven?"

"Like Starfire just hugged me." She replied.

"Eat up, you'll feel better afterwards."

With a wave Cyborg left and closed the door. Raven's appetite made a sudden appearance and within minutes her plate was clean.

"So you wanna watch this?" He asked as Raven made herself comfy on the bed.

"Not really." She replied as she put her head down on the pillow.

"Let's see what else is on." He replied as surfed the channels.

"Hey! 'The Big Bang Theory' is on!" He announced happily, only to hear that she was already snoring. He tucked her in and pecked her on the cheek before getting comfy himself with a can of pop and some chips.

_One down, seven more to go._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It snowed today, so I decided to crank out this chapter, just a day after the previous chapter. It's kind of an in betweener, but you need one of those every now and then. I still need to shovel the snow, but before I do that … it's mailbag time!

**Darth Parallax** - "Hmmm...I want to give a nice, thoughtful review that builds up your confidence, motivates you to write more, and critiques what you need to work on...

Instead I give you this internet cookie:

youtube link

You're story is almost as cool as this video. And that's saying a lot, because I don't think the entire Star Wars Saga is as cool as this video."

_Thanks! That has to be the most unusual review I have ever received._

**xXCanaryXx** - "O_O

Wow.

One word. And it describes what is going through my head right now. Wow. Raven and BB are able to have kids, but the curse has finally caught Raven in its web. Now Raven will barely be able to see her child (if they get one) grow up. UNLESS, you work your magic, and somehow find some crazy cure, or let Raven die. *Raises hand* I vote on Raven NOT dying. Anyone else with me? *multiple people raise hands* I thought so.

Please keep your hands arms and legs in the vehicle at all times. This is gonna be a bumpy ride!"

_Well, I can't tell you what will happen to Raven at this point, can I?_

**The Cretan** - "I like this chapter for 2 reasons: First you address the child delimma. Alot of people forget that Raven is a hybrid and many hybrids are born sterile and one has to wonder is Beastboy is capable of fathering children, what with his DNA constantly changing. Second I like how you mentioned the tabloids. I have never seen a pairing more argued over than this one right here (except for maybe the epic Kataang vs Zutara Conflict). Hopefully, they'll work it out in the comics. But with JT Krul writing it I don't know. With this chapter you got some serious development down. Kudos and hope to read more."

_I could see the tabloids constantly publishing libelous statements regarding the "creepy couple", not that the "cute couple" would escape unscathed either._

**FelynxTiger** - "it was just a little predictable but it is still a surprise how fast she is growing , also the baby's news are that good anymore huh

mmm allthough the reactions that Gar and Rae take wasn't to much it could have been a little more dramatic :P"

see u next chapty :D"

_Well, they were too shocked to react_

**lpwriter4life** - "If Raven is aging, then will she turn into her future self from the episode, "How Long is Forever?" "

_Good question, she shouldn't go insane though._

**GreenRock** - "Christ, none of the Titans can catch a break.

It seems that Death's scythe is still glinting in every chapter that passes. Does Death ever take a holiday? He seriously needs one . . . I don't think I can take any more of this depression, seriously.

As always, I cannot wait until the next installment."

_Sometimes life isn't fair I guess._

**almostinsane** - "Great chapter! Grr.. It's time for hardcore torture! Do that one spell Raven cast on Malchor to make him a mummy and unleash the Beast on him! Thanks for writing this. God bless!"

_They haven't reached the point of desperation yet, but they are getting close._

**Shyguy1** - " WRITE. MORE! I love this chap and the tension is building. I wanna see what happens next. Raven is aging and the soon to be Grayson's relationship just got off the rocks. The Logans can have kids, but will they even want to now that they know that Raven won't even be around in two years, her children will lose her before they even get a chance to really know her. The suspense is terrible. I actually think that this is the climax. Something has to break soon. Raven's will to live, their distrust of Malchior. This is the point where everything about the rest of their lives is decided."

_So many unanswered questions. Stay tuned._

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "Acxk gaaahhh! F8ck you, you no good POS of an excuse of a Father Trigon, Gaahhh! Feck! Well desperate times call for desperate measures and Rae should make an appointment with Gabriel to undo the curse. If she's to die early, I swear to god, Gar will gonna on a Bloody thirsty rampage annihilating every single worshiper of Trigon off the planet clean, that plus Gar putting Hiromi's noggin on a Trophy case.

And speaking of age acceleration magical wise, the magical community prolly need to make one for the chromatically challenged couple's offspring, lest the mother fades away due to the curse."

_I can't pull the Gabriel card; I already did that in the Wild Man's Journey. I guess Raven was right in Nevermore, when she said she had issues with her father._

**LoveBassClarinet** - "It's official, this is sad."

_Sometimes the best love stories are the sad ones._

**St. Jack of randomness **- "This was a pretty good chapter, I thought it was funny how BB was such a horndog. :P Do me a favor, would ya? Do. Not. Kill. Raven. Please, let her find a way to break the curse, you've already killed Terra, don't off Raven too."

_Now I've got two official "spare Raven" votes!_

**titanfan45** - "Well, it's official that Raven is the one subject to the curse. If only she'd listened to Garfield when she first received it and let her friends destroy the thing. Too late for that now, they have a lot of living to do in what time is left to her. "

Coulda, shoulda, woulda. That's the thing about life; you rarely get do-overs.

**Author Penholder** - "I thought the curse was against Beast Boy. You have to explain to me how it's actually Raven who's cursed."

_Raven was the one who mistakenly made that assumption, figuring that her father was going to punish her by taking BB away from her._

**Mortal Guardian** - "So what did the muggles think of the portraits looking down upon them?

The one thing I was impressed with was you giving the chimeras reason and fear. I've imagined them as the sort that are only vicious and brutal, and think only of the kill."

_I always like to think of magical creatures as being intelligent. As for the muggles/mundane, I guess they really didn't know that they were portraits of wizards._


	24. A Wedding

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The room was dark and the setting was peaceful in the improvised bedroom. The cold wintry wind swirled outside of the triple glazed window, the flurries swirling in a tight spiral, ascending before being released at the top of the vortex and flying off into all directions.

Beast Boy dozed peacefully, undisturbed by the sound of a toilet flushing in the background. As the green Titan continued snoring Raven staggered out of the bathroom. The clock on the nightstand flashed the time: 5:47 AM. Every bone in Raven's body ached as the replacement virus had worked its way through her body. The flu like side effect of the virus replacement process had gotten progressively worse over the 5 days of the treatment. She had never been sick before in her life; her half demon physiology provided her with an immune system that resisted the kind of viruses that full humans could never fend off, now she understood the misery Beast Boy, Nightwing and Cyborg went through every time they caught a cold.

Shivering Raven slipped back under the covers, her only consolation that the treatment was complete. As predicted her complexion had turned a pale yellow and as much as she scrubbed herself in the shower an unpleasant aroma lingered. Gar never complained and always held her in his arms every night as she shivered from the artificially induced fever the dummy virus created.

The last treatment had been the morning before and the side effects were predicted to abate sometime that day. While she was relieved looking forward to no longer be feverish and for the wretched stench to go away she was apprehensive about what awaited her. The scientists had taken some tissue samples the evening before and were going to spend the night analyzing them while the Logans slept.

Raven sighed as Beast Boy unconsciously wrapped an arm around her and drew close to him. He was only wearing his boxers and his body felt cool when pressed against her own feverish flesh. She too had stripped down to her underpants as even a T-shirt felt too hot. She had been running a 101F fever for three days now and was feeling weak and miserable. Gar had done everything in his power to help her feel more comfortable but in the end all he could do was hold her as she slept, of which she did a lot.

After a few minutes she was able to settle down, ready to sleep some more when the early morning peace was interrupted by the sound of heavy footfalls in the distance. At first Raven ignored them as she was beginning to feel drowsy and her eyelids felt heavy. The repetitive thumping sound, which sounded heavy and a bit mechanical grew louder and louder, finally disrupting the slumber she had begin to ease her way into. The heavy footfalls reached the door to their room and suddenly stopped. Raven sat up, now curious as to what was going on. She was rewarded with a loud knock on the door.

"Raven, BB! Are you guys awake?" Cyborg shouted through the door.

"I am now." She replied. "Don't come in yet, I'm not decent."

"No problem, I'll wait. Make sure BB's awake, I've got news."

Raven's eyes were now fully open. The excitement in Cyborg's voice could only mean one thing …

After slipping on a T-shirt she shouted: "Come in!"

As Cyborg entered the room he saw Raven shaking the changeling.

"Gar! Wake up! Victor has news!"

Beast Boy woke slowly, stretching as if he were a cat.

"Wassamatter?" He slurred still half asleep.

"Wake up grass stain! I've got good news!"

Beast Boy sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"What?"

Cyborg could no longer contain himself.

"IT WORKED! The virus replacement scheme worked! They've even confirmed that the aging process has returned to normal speed! WE DID IT!"

Raven did something Cyborg had only seen her ever do once before, on the day she became the portal: Raven began to cry. Beast Boy wrapped his arms around and began to cry as well. For both of them it was a new experience: tears of joy.

Cyborg scanned Raven with one of his built in sensors.

"You're still pretty toasty Raven, but your body will adapt to the virus and the fever will go away, maybe even by the time we get home."

"Home?" Her voice trembled. "You mean we can go home now?"

"You bet little sis! I'll warm up the T-Ship while you pack your bags." He beamed triumphantly. "I told you it would work!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Beast Boy gently pressed his lips against Raven's forehead. The still sleeping sorceress didn't stir as the T-Ship began its descent into the greater Jump City airspace. They had been cleared to enter and fly under visual rules and as he pulled away from Raven he was able to discern the Tower's signature T shape through the afternoon haze.

Redirecting his attention back to Raven he smiled, as her forehead no longer felt feverish, just as Cyborg had predicted. He placed a hand on her right shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Rae, wake up, we're almost home."

Two gray eyelids (her face was not discolored as she always wore the breathing mask while submerged in the tank) popped open, revealing her amethyst colored orbs. She looked into his eyes and smiled. Home, such a beautiful word. It had been almost a week since she had last seen Nightwing or Starfire and was almost surprised to be looking forward to the reunion, even if it meant being the recipient of one of the princess's bone crushing hugs. She leaned against Beast Boy and took his hand, interlacing her fingers with his own gloved ones.

Cyborg deftly guided the T-Ship onto the Tower's roof, which parted open revealing the hangar where the ship was stored. With great aplomb the ship touched down and the tin man immediately cut the engines.

The Logans stretched after climbing out of their shared compartment. They had been gone only for a week, yet it felt like an eternity, especially since they both knew that Raven had aged another 4-6 months prior to the treatment taking effect. In their final evaluation the doctors had diagnosed Raven to be somewhere between 28 and 32 years in real age. They had also given her the green light to conceive and carry a child. The Logans had discussed the issue on the way home and came to a conclusion.

"You guys hungry?" Cyborg asked. "If you are I can make you something."

"You mean like a nasty steak?" Beast Boy asked, his arms crossed. Some things never changed.

"Not for you grass stain, I was thinking of your wife. What do you say Raven?"

Beast Boy gave her a pleading look.

"A steak sounds nice." She replied.

"Rae!" The changeling complained.

"Gar, I swore to forsake all other men for you, but I never promised to give up eating meat."

His ears drooped.

"I know, I was just … you know … hoping."

"Don't worry B; I'll make something for you too." Cyborg grinned.

"Yeah, sure. You mean like some lettuce out of a bag with some salad dressing on it? If that's the case, I'll make my own dinner!"

By this point the trio had reached the entrance to the common room.

"Oh stop complaining B. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised." Cyborg grinned as the sliding doors swooshed open, revealing a dark common room, the curtain drawn shut. With no warning the lights came on.

"SURPRISE!" A chorus of voices shouted in near unison.

Raven stared in disbelief. Starfire and Nightwing stood closest to the door and had their arms raised in celebration. Behind them were the Titans East, and behind them were all of the Honorary Titans and a few other non superheroes, including Ranesh from Amorista Lane. A banner hung from the ceiling proudly proclaimed "Welcome Home Raven! Congratulations!"

Raven was speechless and still looked stunned. She noticed that a large table had been set, just like it had been on her birthday and all sorts of food and drink had already been set. Raven staggered into the room, almost in a daze. She recalled the first time a surprise party had been sprung on her and how ungracious she had been that time.

As soon as she reached the bottom of the steps she was mobbed by her many friends and comrades.

"Thank … you." She stammered.

Kole and Argent hooked their arms around her and led her to the head of the table, followed by Pantha who had picked Beast Boy up like he was a rag doll. She dropped him into a chair next to Raven as the rest of the gathered group took their places.

Raven blushed. Even after all these years she was still unaccustomed to having friends who expressed their feelings for her in such a rambunctious way.

"Speech!" Someone shouted, barely heard above the din. Beast Boy took control of the situation and stood up to address the crowd.

"Thanks guys, you're the best. We really weren't expecting this, but it's great. But before the party begins don't forget that Raven's still feeling a little under the weather, so go easy on her! OK?" He grinned.

Raven stood up and joined him.

"Gar is right, this was completely unexpected, but is greatly appreciated. If I seem even more unsocial than usual, it's because of what Gar said. I'm still a little out of it but even if it doesn't look like it, I'm having a great time. You have no idea how relieved I am that this nightmare is over."

Raven is paused and the room fell silent.

Well, is this a party or what?" She finally smiled as she leaned over and kissed her spouse with an uncharacteristic public display of passion. The crowd shouted their approval.

Starfire approached Raven and gave the sorceress one of her trademark hugs, careful to not send her to the infirmary with her bone crushing abrazo. As she released Raven the Logans could see the mischief in her eyes.

"Friends, I have a present for you!"

Beast Boy looked worried, if not panic stricken.

"You didn't make one your Tamaranian puddings Star?" He asked, unable to mask the concern in his voice.

"Do not be silly Beast Boy. For an occasion as auspicious as this one, a very special gift is necessary."

Starfire glided over to the side of the room where something very big, almost the size of a car, was covered by a huge sheet. With a swift gesture she removed the sheet.

The crowd gasped in surprise and began to murmur their approval of the princess's choice. Raven and Beast Boy both looked stunned as they internalized the gift they had just received.

Before them was furniture of the highest quality they had ever seen, made out of the finest wood and the craftsmanship was without equal. They couldn't even begin to fathom how much it had cost.

It was a nursery room set: a crib, a changing table, two chests of drawers and a beautiful rocking chair. The carvings on each piece were both dazzling and exquisite.

"Starfire." Raven finally spoke. "It's beautiful! I don't know what to say, other than thank you. But you do know that we aren't expecting?"

"Not yet!" The Tamaranian grinned. "Now you and Beast Boy must do your part so that this furniture may be put to good use."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Beast Boy picked up the white cassock from the chair where it was draped, looking at it with a skeptical frown on his face.

"Do I really have to wear this Rae? It makes me look like a monk!"

"Yes you do!" She called back from the bathroom. "And don't ask me why, I already explained it to you."

Today was the day of Nightwing's and Starfire's wedding. Raven had promised to officiate in the role of an Azarathian Priestess. Since Beast Boy was her mate he had an official role to play, assisting Raven in performing the ceremony. And while he didn't mind that part at all, he simply didn't care for the cassocks that he and Raven would be wearing in their Priestly role.

"Fine, I'll wear the stupid robe." He muttered under his breath. "Some guys marry ordinary girls. Me? I married a half demon, super hero, alien priestess."

"I thought you said the other night while we made love that I was quote 'the hottest woman in world', or were you just flattering me?"

The changeling smiled sheepishly. He wasn't the only Logan with sensitive ears.

"You know I meant that." He replied as he slipped on the cassock. As soon as his head popped out from the top he shouted at her.

"Are you done in there yet?" He called out. "You've been in there forever. What are you doing?"

Raven emerged from the bathroom, dressed only in her underwear. She had a stunned looked on her face.

"Rae, are you OK?"

She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

"Rae, what's the matter? You almost look sick? What's wrong?"

The only word she could muster was 'nothing'. She then smiled and taking his hand she slapped a small plastic object into it. At first he was confused as he didn't recognize the strange artifact. Then his eyes popped open wide and he took a closer look at it, flipping it over as if trying to verify that it was indeed real. He too opened his mouth and no words came out. Swallowing hard he tried again, this time managing to squeak out a barely audible 'No way'. Raven crossed her arms and smiled smugly.

"You said you wanted to knock me up. Well, you did it!"

He shook his head.

"No Rae … we did it." He whispered as he knelt down before her. With a reverence that touched her he gently kissed her stomach.

"We're going to have a baby, a real baby."

"Yes Gar." She replied as she pulled him to his feet.

Garfield and Raven Logan shared a kiss that was both tender and passionate.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A pair of figures attired in white hurried down the hallway. Their hoods were raised and their faces concealed. On was carrying an ornate chest, the size of a shoebox while the other carried an ancient looking book.

"I can't believe that we lost track of time! We're late." Raven complained.

"Well, we have a good reason, don't we?"

"We do, but we can't tell them, at least not today." She murmured as the raced down a flight of stairs.

"Don't want to steal their thunder huh?" He replied.

"You could put it that way."

"Rae, why are we running? Why don't you just open a portal?"

"Stealing thunder?" She reminded him.

"Oh yeah. It's their day. We can't be too flashy."

"Exactly." She replied as the sliding doors swished open, once again revealing a crowded common room. Only 6 weeks had passed since they returned from Metropolis. While Raven's body was still about 30 years old her scalp was 33 and there were more gray hairs than before, not that anyone could see them with her hood raised.

The Logans entered the common room with the solemnity of an owl, walking quietly to the makeshift altar that Raven had assembled the night before. She delicately placed the Book of Azar on the altar while her mate place the jewel encrusted box there as well. Beast Boy picked up a wooden frame that had dozens of bells on it and they turned around to face the assembly that was gathered before them. She nodded to Cyborg who stood beside one of the room's secondary doors. Beast Boy shook the frame, ringing the tiny bells as the door opened and Nightwing entered. He was wearing a gala version of his costume and was accompanied by none other than the Dark Knight himself who escorted him to the altar before returning to his own empty seat, next to Alfred Pennyworth.

Raven then nodded at Bumblebee, who stood guard at the third entrance to the room. Again Beast Boy rang the bells and Starfire entered, dressed in the most dazzling wedding gown anyone had ever seen. The gown seemed lighter than air and was more brilliant than snow on a sunny day. She was escorted by Aqualad, who was now the known as Aquaman as Arthur of Atlantis has relinquished that title to his 'tadpole'.

Beast Boy put the bells away and picked up the small chest. Raven opened the gilded box and extracted from it an exquisite and delicate looking gold chain that appeared to be a few yards in length. She gestured at the couple before her and they drew closer to each other until they stood side by side, their arms touching.

Without saying a word she wrapped the delicate chain around the couple. Once she was done she returned to the Altar where her mate handed her the Book of Azar which she opened and began to read.

"This chain symbolizes the bond that will be formed between you. Much like this chain it is precious and should be protected and treasured. Also like the chain it can be broken through recklessness and disharmony. You will keep this chain as a reminder of the vows you will take here today, vows that you will need to protect and nurture."

Raven returned to the altar as Beast Boy unwound the delicate gold chain and restored it to the gilded box. She returned holding a chalice, which she showed to the couple.

"This chalice represents the fruits of your new life together. Sometimes the wine it contains will be sweet and at other times it will be bitter. At times it will overflow while at others it will appear to be nearly empty. Remember one thing always, this is your cup and you must drink from it together, regardless of its contents."

Raven presented the chalice to Starfire who took a deep drink from it before handing it to her groom who did the same before returning the cup to Raven, who wiped the cup dry before placing it into the small chest. She then picked up a small loaf of bread, which looked like a tiny baguette and broke it in half, handing a piece to the bride and groom.

"This bread represents the nourishment and support you will give each other. Always think of the other before yourself."

The couple placed the pieces of bread in each other's mouths and consumed it. They then turned to face Raven.

"Starfire, Princess of Tamaran, will you take Nightwing as your lifelong mate, forsaking all others?"

"I will." She replied.

"Nightwing, will you take Princess Starfire as your lifelong mate, forsaking all others?"

"I will."

Raven then took the chest from Beast Boy and handed it to the couple.

"This chest and its contents symbolize the union that you have formed, which is now your most precious possession. Remember that no one can steal this bond from you without your consent."

Raven paused for a moment and then together with Beast Boy she lowered her hood. Their solemnity was gone.

"Ladies and gentleman, I present to you Princess Starfire of Tamaran and her consort Nightwing!"

The assembly rose and began to applaud and received the newlyweds as they walked down the aisle together for the first time as a married couple. Beast Boy, still beaming, stood next to Raven.

"That was very nice Rae."

She smiled back at him.

"I couldn't have done it without you."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

OK, we were WAY overdue for a happy chapter, I just hope I didn't overdo it!

We're over 13,000 hits so far and 334 reviews! This is quite an accomplishment, especially now the readership in the Teen Titans section appears to be on the decline (all good things come to an end I suppose). I thank all of you for your support.

And now, it's time for the mailbag!

**AllYourWafflesBelongToMe** - "Great chapter! I kinda feel sad for Rae and I hope they'll finally find a way to break the spell. And I hope Andreas and Hiromi rot in hell. :D

I hope you update soon!"

_Sorry it took longer than usual. I had some writer's block._

**xXCanaryXx** - "Excellent chapter. I cannot wait to see what will happen next!"

_A wedding and a baby on the way. I hope you liked it._

**qqkazzu** - "HI, I'm the silent lurker. I like to read fics, review and fade into nothingness. However, you have compelled me to review before my time. And i want to say, DON'T YOU DARE KILL RAVEN! If you do, i will find you and i will tie you up until you re-write it!

Ah... Just kiddin :P if you do kill her though, it had better be well written. So basically you don't have anything to worry about coming from me. Yes, i believe you to be a brilliant writer, just some minor mistakes.

Not a bad scientific process to remove the virus. The dummy's and the hair proxies, brilliant! Ah.. Beast Boy really reminds me of me :P at least, the way my lovely girlfriend describes me ^.^ (only I'm not nearly epic as he is and i shan't go into particulars).

I'm only confused as to how he became the Beast at will when fighting Andreas, yes this is the wrong chapter, but it just occurred to me that it was strange) because when he first became minister magi Nightwing/Robin was a little "impressed" as to him becoming the Beast at will. Well now I've said my part! Adieu!"

_Let's just say that BB is gaining some control over his alter ego._

**boredom kills** - "wow poor raven doesn't ever get a break huh ha ha great chapter dude hope she does't die though"

_I think they caught some very nice breaks this chapter, don't you?_

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "Well Hiromi leaves a trail of destruction with 2 kids dying on the fire that she created, heh well Hiromi your days are numbered, not even your talismans can save you from The Beast's wrath, I can so imagine Hirmo wanna pull off here Talisman talisman,s only for the Beast to slam his claw straight to Hiromi's head and crush it into a bloody pulp. And probably Gar will prolly have to tap in to his animal kingdom skill sets, just like in the TT Comic esp The Future Is Now Arc as Animal Man, well you can say The Beast can multiply himself via using the abilities of the Amoeba."

_Hiromi is pretty detestable, isn't she? A fitting mate for Andreas._

**Baconbitz** - "I dissapear for a week and two chapters go up? brillant! so I'm out of nails to bite and had to borrow my friends, unfortunately hers cost like a hundred bucks to get professionally done, and now she is on a bloody rampage lol, j/k. seriously though this story is both sad and epic. Its interesting to think of someone as strong as a teen titan being in the hospital. it really humanizes the character and thats a trait I love in stories. great quality, keep it up!"

_Thanks! Sometimes I think I do go off on a tangent with the side stories. I'm glad you like it._

**almostinsane** - "Great chapter! I really hope the treatment works... Thanks for writing this. God bless!"

_It looks like it did._

**Darth Parallax** - "lol. first- wierd, but that link I sent didn't actually show up. maybe its just something about ffnet. anyway, for those who are curious as to what could possibly be cooler than all of Star Wars, it was Batman, putting on his mask for the first time. Its from a movie called 'Mask of the Phantasm' which IMO was better than Dark Knight.

but on to the review!

I have a twisted idea: make the virus a 'decoy'- something that causes problems, but is 'too easy to beat, so it must not be the real issue'- so whats the deathtrap behind the deathtrap? Beast Boy dies to save Raven. or Raven goes back in time to take a bullet for Tara, since Raven is already marked as dead. or some other horribly tragic but sweet thing that makes us all cry.

surprise us! I like every character so far except the STAR labs guys- it doesnt make sense that a simple blood transfusion would beat the wrath of a demon on a vengeance quest. I mean, how can they think that would work? "

_It wasn't really a blood transfusion; it was a virus transfusion (which I made up)._

**The Cretan** - "Your edge in intrigue and plot development is as sharp as ever. Thanks again on the manga. I'm set to start reading Negima in the morning. 28 books ya say and its not even finished! I guess mangas are set up different from comics. Great update as always. Best of luck."

_One thing I like about the Negima! manga is the artwork. The level of detail provides a lot of eye candy. One word of warning, Negima! does get carried away with the "fan service" (in other words, it can be a bit naughty)._

**Shyguy1** - "I vote that you spare Raven. It just seems completely wrong to end this. I also think that she shouldn't go bald. Grey, yes, bald, not a chance in Michigan. Well, looks like she'll be in Star Labs for a while so she outa get used to white walls, pointy needles, and drafty gowns. I'm willing to bet Hiromi isn't gonna let them finish up. She's far too P. at the to even think of letting them die the easy way. Let's see more please."

_Expect some more fluff before the sparks fly again._

**still too old for this** - "OK, caught up again. (This two chapters in rapid succession is wearing me out.) Again, two nice chapters, even if everyone now knows that Raven is dying of accelerated old age. The mental tortures that BB is going through, expecting Raven to die was well done, and completely in character.

And so we wait for the results of the treatment. Until next time my friend."

_Life is never easy for the Chromatically Challenged Couple™._

**titanfan45** - "Good work on coming up with the treatment! I never would have thought of all that."

_I figured it would have to be something rather weird._

**FelynxTiger** - "everything but the hair T.T

Bringing Cy's father was something that really bring back painful memories to bb and rae , even if it was somewhat cliche the description that you give about the similitudes between them about their past was nice

"Like Starfire just hugged me" lol a good way to express how Raven felt XD

Seeunextchapter "

_It seems that the readers are more worried about Raven's hair than if she dies! LOL!_

**GreenRock** - "I don't envy Raven going through some quite horrific medical procedures, but whatever's going to make her better. Something tells me that things are not going to be as simple as they seem. No, something else is going to happen."

_Looks like I gave them a reprieve, but beware of Hiromi!_


	25. Hiromi's Disappointment

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The pile of luggage next to the T-Ship kept growing, much to Nightwing's amazement. Starfire had super human strength of course, and when she had entered the hangar carrying several pieces of luggage the others thought that would be it, but the Princess made 5 more trips to her room, actually it was now their room as they had spent their wedding night there. That night, after all the guests had left and while Cyborg shut the Tower down it occurred to the Tin Man that he was the only occupant of the landmark structure that as David Lettermen would sometimes say "wasn't getting any."

"Is that it Star?" Cyborg asked. "I don't think there's any room in the T-Ship for more luggage. And why so much? I though you guys were going to spend a week on a private island that Bruce owns?"

Nightwing had tried to shush his cybernetic teammate, but was woefully too late.

"I am glad you asked friend Cyborg, for you see we will be spending 8 days and seven nights on a tropical island. While the island is private it is but a 10 minute flight to Papeete in Tahiti, where Richard and I will spend much time dining and shopping. In the first suitcase I have packed the swimsuits, outfits, shoes and all accessories I will need the first day …"

Nightwing mouthed the words 'you had to ask' as he began loading the luggage into the T-Ship's cargo hold. Several minutes later the Tamaranian concluded her explanation with "and I do not understand how Richard was able to pack everything he needed into just two suitcases. Do you Raven?"

The gray sorceress replied in her signature monotone.

"It's a mystery to me too Starfire. One of the unanswerable secrets of the universe I suppose."

Nightwing had just closed the hatch on the cargo hold and gave Raven a 'ha ha, very funny' look.

"I guess we're ready to go." He informed the group. "Kid Flash and Jinx will arrive any moment now to backfill for us, so you guys should be set until we come back."

Beast Boy cleared his throat.

"I also asked Argent to come give us a hand."

Nightwing looked nonplussed.

"Really? I guess she can stay in one of the spare rooms. Why did you ask her Beast Boy, Jinx and Kid Flash should be adequate backups?"

The changeling grinned sheepishly, and even Raven looked mildly surprised. She then cleared her own throat and addressed the team.

"Gar has acted prematurely, but I understand why … we have some news which we just found out yesterday before the wedding. To be honest we couldn't think of the right time to tell you since we didn't want to be a distraction during your wedding …" Raven rambled uncharacteristically.

"Raven, what are you trying to say?" Nightwing asked.

Raven paused, preparing to drop the bomb, when Kid Flash and Jinx entered the common room.

"Yeah Raven, what the big news? Are you preggers?" Jinx joked.

"Yes" Raven replied. "I'm pregnant."

Starfire went bug eyed, and Beast Boy thought for a moment that her eyes had become heart shaped.

"Yes, yes, yes!" The Tamaranian shouted as she pumped her arm, a human gesture she had recently picked up. She then became airborne and performed a series of aerial pirouettes while shouting with glee.

"You had to tell her." Nightwing moaned. "Now I won't hear the end of this."

Jinx ran to Raven and hugged her. Starfire descended from the hangar ceiling and joined in the now group hug. Meanwhile Cyborg slapped the changeling on the back.

"It's about time!" He cheered.

Beast Boy gave him a cross look.

"Whadya mean it's about time? We haven't even been married for a year. We only did this now because Raven's 30."

"I know grass stain, ticking clocks and all that. So what's it like to be with an older woman?"

Beast Boy frowned.

"You want me to go Ministra Magi on you tin man?" He growled.

"Aw c'mon! I'm just kiddin ya B. Raven still looks young! She's no cougar."

Beast Boy turned away from his friend.

"Don't even joke about it Cy. It's not funny, she coulda died."

The mechanical man rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'm sorry man; you know I think the world of her."

"It's OK, I guess I'm just a little sensitive about it."

"Really, why? I mean none of us think there's anything wrong with the two of you being a couple."

The changeling sighed.

"Cy, Raven's always been more mature than me, way more mature. Now she really is older than me. It makes me feel so … not good enough, like I'm a mismatch for her."

Cyborg shook his head.

"It's your baby she's carrying. Seems to me that she thinks you're worthy of her."

Beast Boy nodded.

"I know, it's just that sometimes … I feel that way."

"Have you ever told her?"

"Heck no!"

"Maybe you should grass stain."

The impromptu counseling session was interrupted by the sound of the hangar doors opening; their deep groaning reverberated throughout the entire room. Beast Boy turned to the T-Ship just as Nightwing closed the hatch on the compartment he shared with his beaming bride. It was then that Cyborg saw that someone had sloppily scribbled the words "Just married" on the side of his flying pride and joy with a nearby discarded can of spray paint.

"Wally!" He shouted, unheard as the T-Ship's engines roared to life.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"_And now Sky-7 takes us straight to the scene of the battle between the Titans and the combined forces of Johnny Rancid, Mumbo and Control Freak…"_

Raven put her book down and focused her attention on the giant view screen in the common room. This was the latest tactic the local villains were using against the Titans: they were teaming up. Fortunately for Jump City's local superheroes villains were selfish cowards and made poor teammates, especially when they were losing.

The local TV station helicopter kept itself at a safe distance from the action and the cameraman did a decent job of getting the action on screen while the on board reporter gave play by play commentary, which irritated Raven. Was that how the citizenry saw them, as entertainment? This wasn't some stupid sporting event, Raven seethed, all it would take would be a single mistake and a Titan could perish. Had Terra already been forgotten by the locals? Live coverage of the Titans missions had begun shortly after Raven had finally agreed to sit out from the missions due to her pregnancy.

Raven finally agreed to take maternity leave near the end of her first trimester. During that time she had to endure the pleas to sit out the battles from her teammates, especially from her husband. Raven had reassured them that she would be extra careful and that nothing would happen to her. What ended up happening instead was that the others, especially the changeling, went out of their way to make sure she was safe, often unnecessarily exposing themselves to danger. The straw that finally broke the camel's back was a mission against the remnant of the Hive-5, where Mammoth broke Beast Boy's arm as the changeling came to Raven's aid. After partially healing his arm back at the Tower's infirmary she agreed to take her leave.

Raven watched the battle unfold in the screen. It had been 3 months since she agreed to stay home during missions and she had watched every single one on the TV. She absentmindedly caressed her now visibly swollen midsection as she nervously watched her teammates fight the trio of villains.

As expected, Control freak was the first to go down, victimized by one of Nightwing's flawless spinning heel kicks. Mumbo proved to be peskier as he had added a few new "stage magic" tricks to his arsenal, including a Chinese finger trap that grew in size and momentarily captured Starfire until Nightwing freed her with one of his modified bat-a-rangs. Cyborg finally took him down with his sonic cannon,

This left Johnny Rancid as last villain standing. He had been using his usual arsenal of giant robots which the Titans were able to take down without too much effort. Raven grinned as she saw her teammates surround the gray skinned villain.

What Raven couldn't see on the TV was that Rancid had pulled a small remote control out of his pocket and pressed the button on it. She did see the outcome of that event. Within seconds a dozen mechanical replicas of the Beast appeared and began to attack the Titans.

Beast Boy cursed the villain who simply laughed and replied: "I thought imitation was the greatest form of flattery. You should be pleased Beast Boy!"

Beast Boy's only response was to tap on a wrist stopwatch, starting a two minute countdown. He then shouted 'adeat!'

While Raven couldn't hear his incantation, she was able to feel it. He had tapped into her power and she felt the slight drain on her own powers from the beginning. She finally relaxed and even smiled. The battle would soon be over.

Rancid went bug eyed at the sight before him. The changeling had transformed into an oversized version of the Beast and wielded a huge sword in each paw, which he twirled expertly. Rancid stared slack jawed as the Beast systematically and effortlessly demolished its mechanical doppelgangers. As the last robot was sliced in half the villain surrendered to Nightwing, who handcuffed him.

"Abeat!" The changeling shouted as he paused the stopwatch. Only 35 seconds had elapsed.

"_Well Bill, this was a short battle. The changeling has become quite fighter, wouldn't you agree?"_ The helicopter reporter asked the anchor back in the TV station studio.

"_There's no doubt about that Roger, according to our latest poll he's now the most popular Titan …"_

_Damn right he is. _Raven thought to herself as she allowed a small smile to form on her lips.

"… and another poll says he's been voted the sexiest and most desirable man in town."

"Sorry ladies, he's mine." Raven said out loud with a hint of smugness and self satisfaction in her voice as she shut the TV off knowing they would be home soon. As she picked up her book, ready to resume reading, she felt the child in her womb move.

"You're excited that daddy's coming home Coraline? Well, so am I." Raven addressed her unborn daughter as she gently caressed her swollen belly.

Raven closed her eyes and savored the moment as she continued to caress her child, albeit indirectly. Being pregnant had brought the Chromatically Challenged Couple™ closer to each other than ever.

Beast Boy had acted upon the tin man's advice and confessed his feelings of inadequacy to Raven the night after the Grayson's had left on their honeymoon. She initially felt mortified, as she blamed her earlier treatment of the changeling for these feelings. She reminded her green mate that it was his child she was carrying.

Raven then proceeded to tell the changeling about how being pregnant had changed her life. The conversation took place in the sanctity and privacy of their room and it started out in a way that Beast Boy was not expecting: she talked about sex.

She began by talking about the obsession that most modern North American couples had with sex, how they measured and quantified it, and how the goal for most was to have "mind blowing sex."

Raven then told him that what she appreciated the most when they were together was the intimacy, the oneness they shared when they engaged in physical love. She told him how she would lose herself with him and that there were moments when she felt that their two bodies became as one, their boundaries would simply disappear.

He kissed her and told her that felt that way too.

She then continued, confirming that the physical pleasure was pretty good too but that it was secondary, taking a back seat to the true intimacy where their souls came into contact and also became as one.

"But now we've taken it to the next level Gar." She continued as he caressed her midsection as they both rested together, naked, in their bed. "Our bodies really have come together and become as one…"

"Our baby." He interjected.

"That's right Gar, and I couldn't have brought this new life into the world with anyone but you. You've given me the most wonderful gift I could ever hope for."

"No Rae, you got that backwards, I'm getting the gift…"

"We're both right Gar; our baby is a precious gift that we created with our love. So don't ever doubt yourself, not only are you worthy, you're the only one who could ever be worthy. And I'm sorry I was so cruel to you when we were younger."

He gave her one of his signature smiles.

"I had it coming; I really was a pain in the neck back then."

Raven's flashback was interrupted by the sound of the common room doors swishing open and her 4 teammates (Argent's assignment at the Tower had been preemptively cancelled) entered the room, still celebrating their relatively easy victory of the day.

"You should have seen Rancid's face Raven, he looked like he was gonna cry when BB creamed his robots!" Cyborg cheered. "We so had their number today. You know, I think we're gonna run out of villains at this pace."

"There's always Slade." Nightwing harrumphed. "He's been AWOL too long. He has to be up to something."

"Maybe he too is afraid of our friend Beast Boy."

"Please don't say that Starfire, it will only go to his head." Raven complained. "And you Nightwing, stop obsessing about Slade."

Cyborg guffawed.

"Since we're done bickering, I'd like to remind everyone that the Mayor's annual law enforcement ball is this weekend and that we are the guests of honor." The cybernetic hero reminded his teammates.

"Do we have to go?" Raven moaned. "What am I supposed to wear? My maternity clothes?"

Starfire beamed.

"I will help you prepare an outfit Raven. We can base it on your winter costume, it will look very elegant."

"And I'll look like a beached whale."

"No you won't! You'll be fine Raven." Cyborg interjected. "You'll look radiant."

"Cyborg's right. You'll look great. C'mon Rae, we haven't been out of the Tower together for months!" Beast Boy added.

"Fine, I'll go. But everyone's gonna freak out and stare at me."

"Only because you're so beautiful Rae."

Raven sighed as she accepted her fate. But her mate was right, she had barricaded herself in the Tower as soon as she started showing, and the Mayor always put on a good spread.

"You don't have to butter me up Gar; I already said I'll go."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The office in the investment bank was bustling with activity, as shares in stock exchanges from around the world were being bought and sold at a vertiginous pace, which wasn't unusual at Nomura Investments. It was just a few minutes before the closing bell on the Tokyo stock exchange and the 1st shift in the office was preparing to turn over the reins to the next crew, which would be handling trades on the various European bourses.

Misora Kurazaki was completing her final trades of the day. She had only been working at Nomura for a few months but had already made a name for herself as someone who had a high volume of trades and hence generated a lot of commissions for both the firm and herself. She was on her way to earning almost a million dollars worth of commissions that month.

Little did her coworkers or supervisors know that she was really Hiromi Ayase and that she was generating all those trades by moving funds in Andreas' secret accounts back and forth around the world. Hiromi knew that the authorities would eventually discover Andreas' hidden accounts and that they would be confiscated unless she got rid of the money.

While the money was in danger of being found, no one seemed to be able to discover were Andreas was hiding. Hiromi knew that he had gone into deep hiding as he hadn't touched any of his secret accounts, at least none of the ones she was aware of. This troubled Hiromi to no end as even her most powerful talismans could not reveal his location.

As for the money, she was killing two birds with a single stone. She would move Andreas' money around, making sure that paper trails documenting where they went would go missing as she shuffled the accounts through other less than competent banks, sabotaging the paper trails as she moved the funds around. She was also earning herself some very handsome commissions. In two more months her sleight of hand would be complete and she would move on, using yet another alias she had created for herself.

As Hiromi completed her final transaction for the day she kicked back and relaxed, which didn't really go with the nickname she had earned at the office with her abrasive personality, single mindedness and her large eyeglasses: "death specs". Of course she had used a talisman to keep nosy coworkers away from her, she didn't need their insipid distractions. As she relaxed she overheard one of her younger coworkers comment to another about Beast Boy. This topic caught Hiromi's attention and she began to eavesdrop.

"Look Madoka! Some news about Beast Boy-san!"

Madoka rolled her eyes.

"Haruna, why are so obsessed with him? Sure, you saw him at the Karaoke bar when he was in Japan, and you even kissed him. But that was a long time ago, and besides he married the witch."

"So?" Haruna replied. "Who says that he won't dump her?"

"Oh please Haruna, wake up and smell the wasabi! Of course he won't divorce her, it says in the article that the witch is pregnant, they're going to have a baby!"

Hiromi was sipping on a latte and almost spit it out when she heard the news. Still stunned upon hearing the unexpected news she opened a web browser and typed in the URL for the Jump City Herald.

_She has to be far too old by now to have a baby._

As soon as the page opened she saw it for herself. On the front page section she saw an article reporting that Raven was indeed pregnant and there was a photo attached to the article to prove it, taken at the Mayor's law enforcement ball. Raven and Beast Boy were holding hands and she looked very pregnant.

Hiromi stifled a gasp. She had been following all Titan news stories, waiting for the inevitable announcement that Raven was aging prematurely. The gray sorceress had been absent from the news for months, which Hiromi took as a sign that the rapid aging curse was doing its trick. But in the photo Raven still looked youngish; it was hard to tell just how young with the low resolution image. Even her hair was still violet (Raven had dyed it so she wouldn't be pestered by journalists asking questions about her gray locks, there would be enough questions about her pregnancy).

Hiromi grimaced as she stared at the picture. What could have possibly gone wrong?

"Misora-domo! Are you also a fan of Teen Titans?" Haruna asked after seeing the picture on her screen.

"Not of the gray witch." Misora grumbled.

"That is understandable. Why would he marry her of all people?"

"I'm sure he had his reasons." Misora replied as she closed the browser and logged off her workstation. "I must leave now." She announced curtly as he gathered her belongings. Without saying another word she left.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Well readers, we are approaching the end of this story, about 4 to 6 more chapters left.

Anyway, I'm wondering what to do next. I started a Teen Titans/Negima! Crossover, but I'm not happy with it and I think I'm going to put it on ice, which leads to the next question…

Are you interested in having me resurrect "Reimagined: Tough Times in Jump City"? If you are you need to let me know, just wishing for it won't let me know you're interested. If I hear from at least 30 of you I will resurrect it. So if you want it, don't let it die because writing a review or sending me a message is too much of a chore.

And now, it's mailbag time!

**Bigguido** - "right on now she healed and the celebrating is over burn the cursed book and leave that bad guy in limbo."

_I guess that's the problem with taking the moral high ground, the obvious solutions are just out of reach!_

**The Cretan** - "Well it looks like they're in the clear. Though knowing you I can't say if another bomb is on the way or not. If not, yay. If so, I can't till it the bomb hits. To me you are a master of intrigue and suspense. Once again, thanks on Negima, I have a 10-year old (just turned 10 yesterday) and I'll make sure he doesn't see anything "inappropriate". Keep rockin."

_Ken Akamatsu really went wild with Negima! I didn't think it would be possible, but it has more fan service that his previous work "Love Hina". The Animes are G rated as they were broadcast on TV in Japan, but the manga is definitely somewhere between PG-13 and R (naughty Akamatsu-san!)_

**qqkazzu** - "That's so cute! They're gonna have a baby =) And interesting ceremony, did you make it up yourself? What inspired it if so? (I haven't read the comics so i wouldn't know if it originated from there). It's a really interesting ceremony. It made me happy =) I hath spoken mine part, Adieu!"

_Actually I did make it all up. I'm glad you liked it._

**AllYourWafflesBelongToMe** - "Great chapter! Can't wait for the next one!"

_Thanks, hope you liked this one too. If you think that theme was a little too "mature" let me know and I'll tone it down._

**Blues32** - "So...is Raven still twenty seven years old due to the accelerated aging? Or did she go back to normal? And wouldn't she have an extended lifespan being half demon and all?"

_She stopped aging prematurely, but not even Star Labs can turn back the clock! As for her lifespan, it could go either way (human or demon). I chose human for this story._

**GreenRock** - "The reason that you've received so many reviews and hits is because this story deserves the success. Well, everything seems all hunky-dory at this moment in time . . . but like every happy scenario or times where everything looks like it'll end happily, there's no doubt that there's a massive sting in the tail just on the horizon."

_Thanks! At first I was worried with chapter 24 as the reviews did not pour in as usual. In the end patience paid off and the reviews materialized._

**titanfan45** - "Nice to read a happy chapter! I'm glad they're going to have a child together. Nice job on the wedding."

_Thanks! I wanted the Azarathian wedding to be somewhat foreign and exotic._

**xXCanaryXx** - "Oh yay! A happy chapter! Haven't had one of these since.. NEVA! Just kidding. :P

But still, I love that Raven isn't gonna die! xD It just made my day, knowing that our dark sorceress isn't gonna die! But I'm sad that there are gray hairs in her beautifully plum hair. T.T

YAYAYA *fangirl squeal* Their Pregnant! Well.. Raven is, BUT STILL! xD Im glad they are gonna have a little demon/human/shape-shifter/green/elf-looking BABY! Well, the baby might not be green, but still, you get the point. xD

Hmm, i wonder how Andreas is doing in the book?

As always, loved the chapter.

Update Soon!"

_Beware of Hiromi! Coraline will be born next chapter. (A little spoiler)_

**lpwriter4life** - "Two chapters instead of one? Yay! Glad the virus transfusion worked; it would be fun to see Raven go wig shopping though. Also, the wedding was loverly :D Can't wait for Rae and BB to announce their news to everyone later on."

_I hope their announcement wasn't too anticlimactic._

**almostinsane** - "Great chapter! I'm glad I didn't read the title of the chapter so I was pleasantly surprised by the wedding. It was beautiful. I can't wait to see Beast Boy and Raven experience the joys of parenthood. Thanks for writing this. God bless!"

_Thanks! I had fun concocting the Azarathian ceremony._

**FelynxTiger** - "finally they got married!, u did a great work in the development of the ceremony!

and this chapter was like 'good news keep coming' but i cant help to feel that not always is rainbows

a baby! ohh that would have seem like the ending of a disney movie , but in here in only means be careful

untilnextchapter"

_I'll bet you guys thought I had forgotten about RobStar! But you are right in that dark clouds loom ahead for our heroes._

**Shyguy1** - "Good chap. I just can't help but think that with all this good going on, that something bad is lurking right around the corner. I wonder what Hiromi is doing right now. Anyway, called it. Raven gets pregnant. Ok, so I was a bit early on my guess... ok, twenty chapters early, but I still called it. :) This was good. I like the ceremony that they have. You're a very good writer."

_Thanks, you just know that there won't be a simple Disney like ending to this story._


	26. Hello Coraline!

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Almost 10 weeks had passed since the Mayor's ball, and it was a peaceful midweek afternoon in the Tower. The common room was quiet, Starfire was helping Nightwing unload the dishwasher while Cyborg had just returned from an excursion to the supermarket and was busy restocking the pantry with his purchases. The giant TV and the GameStation were both off and Nightwing's old portable stereo was nowhere to be found. Beast Boy had nodded off earlier on the crescent shaped couch while Raven, who in spite of having ditched her leotard and cape for some loose and comfortable maternity clothes, looked unbelievably pregnant as she was just half a month from her due date

Raven heaved a contented sigh as she put her book down on the couch and rubbed her belly. Little Coraline had woken up and was shifting in her womb, as she always did at this time of the day.

"Good afternoon sweetie, did you sleep well?"

Raven's greeting was interrupted by a soothing aroma that reached her nostrils, tickling them with its calming scent. She opened her eyes and saw Beast Boy crouching in front of her, offering her a mug of herbal tea.

"When did you get up? Oh and thanks, I was craving one."

The changeling snickered.

"What's so funny?"

Beast Boy ceased his mild laugh and smiled at his mate.

"I was thinking…"

"Always a dangerous thing when you're involved."

"I thought I was the funny one."

"Guess again."

He gave her a playful grin.

"You're feisty today."

"Don't pretend you don't like it." She replied with a hint of a smile.

"I do like it." He chuckled. "But getting back to the dangerous thinking … I just think it's funny that you crave herbal tea and not ice cream, pizza, pickles or something more … normal for a pregnant woman."

"You know I'm not like other women. If you want a refund I'm afraid it's too late green bean."

The changeling sat down next to Raven and the two shared a deep and tender kiss while he lovingly stroked her belly.

"Get a room you two." Cyborg teased them. "You're making me all sick being all lovey dovey."

The Logans ignored him and continued kissing. Jinx entered the common room and joined in watching the smoochfest that was happening on the couch.

Jinx had temporarily moved into the Tower. Back when she was in the Hive she had been the gang's medic, having been trained at Brother Blood's academy in the healing arts. Curiously, the training included mid-wife instruction and the pink haired Titan was going to deliver Coraline into the world. She looked up at Cyborg and shook her head.

"Who would have thought that Raven liked kissing so much?"

"I heard that." Raven complained between kisses.

Raven paused suddenly, with a slight jerk, her hand promptly going to her side. Jinx noticed and approached her.

"Another contraction?" She asked.

Raven nodded.

"I don't think it's a Braxton-Hicks contraction either. It felt a lot stronger."

Beast Boy's eyes widened.

"But the baby isn't due for two more weeks." He complained.

"It isn't a train, running on schedule Beast Boy. Babies arrive when they're good and ready."

"I know, I know!" He replied with a hint of alarm in his voice. "I just wasn't expecting this now, I mean, I'm not ready."

"You're not ready?" Jinx frowned at him. "Last time I checked Raven was the pregnant one, not you."

"I'm alright." Raven interjected as she stood up. "I just need to walk a little bit.."

Raven stopped dead in her tracks.

"Oh my." She said, wide eyed. She was wearing a pair of maternity denim overalls and instinctively reached for and touched her inner thigh.

"My water broke."

Nightwing and Starfire were still in the kitchen and they stopped unloading the dishwasher. The common room fell silent.

"What are we waiting for!" Beast Boy shrieked as he picked Raven up bridal style.

"Gar."

"C'mon you guys! Raven's gonna have the baby! Let's get her to the infirmary!"

"Gar!"

"Don't worry Raven, everything's gonna be fine!"

"Yes, I know. Now will you please put me down? I'm not an invalid; I can still walk to the infirmary."

Beast Boy smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry Rae, I guess I kinda got carried away."

"Just relax, I'm fine."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Clad in a hospital gown Raven walked around the infirmary. Jinx had fitted her with a mobile monitoring system and the gray sorceress was not confined to a bed, which was good as she was dilating very slowly. Jinx was checking her every 10 minutes and after an hour she just reached the 7 cm mark. Beast Boy walked with her, silently keeping her company. He could sense her impatience, especially as the contractions were getting closer and closer together. Finally he broke the silence.

"Hang in there Rae, it won't be long now."

It was the 7th time he had said that, but Raven had lost count.

"Saying it won't make it happen." She replied with a clear edge of impatience in her voice. "What's taking me so damn long to fully dilate?"

Raven winced.

"Another contraction?"

"What do you think genius?" She barked at him.

His ears drooped and she immediately felt guilty.

"I'm sorry; I shouldn't to snap at you. I just … wish we could get this over with."

He rewarded her with a smile.

"It's OK, that's what I'm here for."

Cyborg, Nightwing and Kid Flash stood at opposite end of the infirmary. It wasn't clear what exactly they were afraid of, but the three males looked mortified.

"I've faced psychotic villains, monsters that ooze foul smelling goo and a trans-dimensional demon. But I haven't been this scared since I watched Wicked Scary, and it's not even my baby."

"C'mon, you guys are gonna be Coraline's uncles, of course you're worried." Kid Flash remarked.

"So why are you worried?" Dick asked Wally.

"Hey, these feminine plumbing situations always freak me out. But what I'm really afraid of…" He whispered. "… is that Jinxie will start getting ideas, if you know what I mean."

"Don't remind me." Nightwing replied. "Starfire won't stop talking about it."

"Aw, c'mon Dick, she doesn't always talk about it." Cyborg remarked.

"She does when we're alone together. And I am mean when we're 'together'."

"Hoo boy, your days are numbered Nightwing." Wally chuckled. "You'll only be able to hold her off so much longer."

Nightwing shook his head.

"What happened to us? We used to be teenagers, other than fighting Slade our biggest worry used to be who was the best GameStation player. Now Raven's ready to pop a baby out while Starfire and Jinx are dying to join the club. We're gonna be up to our elbows in diapers. When are we supposed to kick bad guy butt?" Cyborg asked.

"You're the lucky one." Wally replied. "You don't have some girl nagging you to get her pregnant."

"That's cuz I don't have a wife. Heck, I don't even have a girlfriend. And shouldn't you and Jinx get married before you have a kid?"

"Duh! Why do you think I haven't popped the question yet?"

While the three male Titans bantered Raven reclined on the birthing table, placing her feet once again in the stirrups. Using a small ruler Jinx measured once again.

"Eleven centimeters, I think we're ready to have a baby." The pink haired enchantress announced gleefully.

"We are?" Beast Boy stammered. "You mean like right now?"

Jinx grinned and nodded.

"Raven, as soon as the next contraction comes you start pushing."

"We'll be in the common room, you know, so Raven can have some privacy." Nightwing stammered as he ,Cyborg and Kid Flash prepared to make their escape.

"You don't have to leave." Raven interrupted. "You and Cyborg are part of my family. I would like it if you stayed."

"But I can leave, right?" Kid Flash asked in a trembling voice.

Raven rolled her eyes.

"Yes Wally, you can leave and go … ow!"

"OK Raven, this is it! Start pushing!"

Kid Flash fled the infirmary while Nightwing and Cyborg retreated back into the far corner of the room. They both flinched as Raven cried out in pain while Beast Boy and Starfire held her hands.

"Be courageous Raven, for this is a glorious moment! Your bumgorf will soon be in your arms."

"I'm here Raven." Beast Boy consoled her as she continued to push; her teeth were clenched while a vein throbbed on her forehead. Then she suddenly relaxed.

"Has she crowned yet?" Raven asked between breaths as the sweat dripped down her face.

"Not yet, on the next contraction." Jinx replied.

"Jinx!" Nightwing called out from the far side of the room. "Exactly how many babies have you delivered?"

"This is my first." She replied. "But I've been through 30 holographic simulations."

"Simulations!" Nightwing shrieked. "I thought you said you were experienced!"

"Just chill, Raven's doing great!" Jinx shouted back as the next contraction started.

"It's back." Raven announced.

"Ok Raven push hard and she'll crown this time."

Raven gritted her teeth as she began to push again. Cyborg had offered her an anesthetic earlier and she had fearlessly refused it. She was beginning to regret that choice. Beast Boy was amazed at how strong her grip was as he continued to hold her hand.

"I see her Raven! She's crowning! Keep pushing!"

Raven let out a primal scream but continued u=in her quest to give birth.

"Her head has cleared … good … good … she's out!"

Raven exhaled and took a few deep breaths She them leaned forward as Jinx raised the newborn child so she could see her. Coraline was covered in mucus with some streaks of blood. Then Raven and Beast Boy heard what they thought was the most beautiful sound in the world: Coraline began to cry.

"Come here dad, I've got a job for you." Jinx called for the changeling. She handed him a pair of surgical scissors.

"Cut the cord dad, right here!" She held the umbilical cord up after placing Coraline on Raven's abdomen. Beast Boy nervously cut the cord, after which Jinx picked Coraline up again.

"Just second, and I'll give her right back to you."

Jinx quickly wiped Coraline's body clean, siphoned the mucus out of her nose and weighed her. She then placed Coraline in Beast Boy's arms. He stared, mesmerized at his newborn daughter.

"Whoa" He whispered as he looked upon her bald, gray head. "She's perfect."

He turned around and handed Coraline to her mother, who along with Starfire had tears dripping down her face.

"Welcome to the world my precious." Raven whispered to her daughter. Beast Boy then gave his wife a prolonged and tender kiss.

"You were great Rae, the best." He told her.

Nightwing and Cyborg approached Raven.

"Raven, you're a mama." Cyborg whispered reverently.

Starfire burst out bawling. She thought it was perhaps the happiest day the Titans had ever shared together.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A short chapter. We'll get back down to business next time, as Hiromi is indeed up to no good.

And now it's time for the mailbag.

**crazynerd** - "sorry i havent updated in a while. But, I am still in love with this story. You are an incredible and talented writer. I bow to your feet.

Hiromi found out that Rae is not aging. I wonder if she is going to go all detective to find out why. Are the Titan's going to find out about the spies.

I like the intimate relationship bb and Rae share and your description of it. Having a baby is indeed the ultimate step in a relationship and I love how they are sooooo committed.

I like how you keep mentioning terra and how Rae is does not become enraged with her memory. Terra truly did a great sacrifice and its was that jump city doesn't see that.

Sooooo many things I love about this chapter that I cant possibly name them all. Excellent work and I look forward to the next chapter where hiromi gets her butt kicked."

_Thanks for all your kind words. Hiromi will be up to no good, you can count in that._

**xXCanaryXx** - "Amazing chapter.

Why do people call Raven a witch? I mean, its not like she has a cauldron and she has creepy jars full of animal parts in her room. She doesnt fly on a broomstick. And her skin is wart free. If anyone be a witch, i would say Hiromi... but not rly. Because Hiromi has her talisman.. things. And Evangeline was more a witch, she flew on a broom. Raven levitates.

Well Im glad the couple finally told about their PrEgNaNcY! Aww adorable name choice.8-) Coraline, how sweet. And its great to know she will be born next chapter. Well actually this chapter because everyone will see this comment on the next chapter since its a mailbag... ok nevermind. Either way though, you just know something bad is in the way. We cant have all this "rainbows and sunshine" stuff, we must have suspense, thats what makes a story. Suspense. And you have alot of it. :)

I cannot wait until the next chapter!

Au Revoir!"

_I agree, Hiromi is more of a witch than Raven (who is more of a sorceress than a witch in my opinion). I borrowed the name Coraline from one of my fellow Ganguro authors: Sir Alwick._

**Darth Parallax** - "hmmm

well, I still think that Trigon should have been harder to outsmart, but at least there's still Hiromi to cause problems for the heroes.

Im glad Raven recovered, I just wish there'd been more sorcery involved. the wedding ceremony was cool.

This story is still cool.

You know what would be funny? If Slade really was behind it all somehow. Nightwing would be all like: I TOLD YOU SO!

xD

i wonder...are Beast Boy and Raven naughty enough to use their powers in bed? :O ;)"

_Hmmm ... that never crossed my mind (using powers during ...)_

**Baconbitz** - "you should totally ressurect it! but only after the gift is done, i'm totally looking forward to the next chapter, although i only seem to get on and read when two chapters have been posted... hrm... oh guess its more insentive lol j/k. can't wait to see where the story goes. happy writing"

_I have already brought Reimagined back to life. I hope to update it this weekend!_

**Jack b** - "I would LOVE it if tough times in jump city was resurrected. I had a small joy induced heart attack when I saw that ;)"

_LIke I said above, it's already back!_

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "Age is just a number what matters most is both of em are still alive and well, though Hiromi will be prolly f'in it up as usual. I'm not too sure about how this story's gonna end but prolly be a bittersweet one."

_Lucky for BB Raven stays pretty fit. She'll be middle aged when he's still in his prime._

**AllYourWafflesBelongToMe** - "Awesome chapter! I can't wait for their final confrontation with Hiromi! Update soon! :D"

_You'll have to wait a little longer._

**wolfenstien** - "Great chapters dude, and I'm glad you brought back 'Tough Times'. I won't be able to review it till the next chapter is up..."

_I will wait patiently for your review. I know many of you couldn't review chapter 11 in Reimagined because you reviewed the original chapter 11, which was the cancellation note._

**still too old for this** - "Nice.

As always, your interplay between BB and Raven is excellent. I particularly enjoyed BB's confessing to Cyborg his feelings of inadequacy regarding Rae, and her later rebuttal. BB always gives the impression of a major inferiority complex and anytime that trait is brought forward it lends itself to a major examination of our green friend.

Only 4-6 more chapters? Thought you'd extend it further. Yes, I know generally what will happen (sorry folks, my Ganguro teammate gave me advance notice), but given your abilities, thought it would go another 10-15.

As for your next project. Truthfully, I wasn't really following your Negima crossover (hides head in shame) as I really know little to nothing about Negima. As for reworking Tough Times, actually, I rather enjoy new stories from you rather than updating/reworking established ones. But, hey, it's your muse. Mine seems to have deserted me regarding 'Road'

I eagerly await the next chapter and the birth of Coraline."

_Don't feel bad about not reading the Negima! crossover, it was a bad idea to begin with._

**GreenRock** - "It seems that crossovers never seem to do well. Maybe due to a potential fact that Negima! is not as well known to the audience as much as the Teen Titans franchise is. But unless you try these experiments, you'll never know.

As far as bringing Reimagined up from the ashes, I'd love to see that happen. It would be interesting to see where your new ideas would lead to in that story.

With only 4-6 chapters left to go in the story, one can only imagine what Hiromi is going to do. I fear for Rae and BB; looks like they may not have the happy ending we're all hoping, praying and wishing for."

_Maybe it will be more than 6 chapters, we'll see. If there are more this story has the potential to pass The Wild Man's Journey in reviews._

**RainingHearts4Ever** - "omg! plz update asap! im hooked!"

_Fanfic addition. Is it legal?_

**qqkazzu** - "Don't really know what to say about this chapter... It seemed to be a lot of fluff, which is probably good, seeing as there was so much action already. Glad to see Raven hasn't lost all her sarcasm. Good job making BB have a sort of inferiority complex, it makes sense given what Raven and others have put him through. Interesting, bringing back BB's fangirls from Tokyo. Good chapter still, keep it up! Adieu!"

_I can write saccharine fluff as good as anyone! LOL! _

**titanfan45** - "Great chapter! Too bad Raven has been found out by the wrong person. This does not bode well. As for resurrecting "Tough Times Reimagined" count me in as a "Yes, most definitely." I just hope I don't have to disquise myself and vote 30 times! "

_NO need to stuff the ballot box. After rereading the first 10 chapters that I wrote I decided it would be a crime to not finish it._

**FelynxTiger** - "Hah , Raven can't stay away from the paparazzis can't she, buuut it only gives good news to Midori (No!) thank u internet

i love the little dialogue Rae had with herself when she was watching TV it made LOL XD

and Good think always most come to and end =/

i thought u were in process of Tough Times guess you are gonna restarted?"

_You shoud draw a picture of a pregnant Raven!_

**lpwriter4life** - "You named the baby after one of my favorite Tim Burton movies :D"

_Just curious, what does "lp" stand for?_

**The Cretan** - "Ah good ol'Hiromi still at it I see. I got to hand it to her. She seems determined to play this out to the end. Though I'm no fan of Grayson, the part with him and Star was hilarious. She very well would probably take her whole wardrobe. Hope Rae's pregnancy goes well. Hope to read the next chapter soon. Best in life to you. Keep rockin."

_Thanks! I'm having fun further developing Hiromi's character._

**Shyguy1** - "Now Hiromi has a mission. To get the revenge train back on track. I wonder what steps she will take. I like how you threw in the characters from the trouble in Tokyo movie. That was a nice touch. I also love how KF spraypainted the T-jet. That is definitely in character, and hilariuos. Can't wait to see what happens next. Keep Writing Space Cowboy"

_I thought it was fun that the office workers were at the karaoke bar._

**almostinsane** - "Great chapter! Be careful guys. Hiromi is still out there. Be sure to protect Coraline. Thanks for writing this. God bless!"

_Thanks!_


	27. Hiromi strikes back!

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The waves crashed on the beach, splashing as the huge breakers pounded on the Okinawa shoreline in the morning as the sun had just begun to rise on the eastern Pacific facing side of the island. The beach was fairly remote and didn't even have a lifeguard station, not that it ever attracted any swimmers or sun bathers, especially not at this early hour, which suited its lone user just fine, as she could dispense with wearing a swimsuit for her daily sunrise swim.

Done with her morning ablution in the ocean, the shapely woman returned to her beach front home, dripping seawater from her tanned body while the still cool sand caked itself on her wet feet. She rinsed herself off in an outdoor shower, washing the briny residue from her naked body and cleaning the sand from her feet.

She walked up some steps to her teakwood deck, where she had left herself a bowl of fruit salad, a soft boiled egg (in a warmer), some toast, juice and a pot of tea. She sat down, still undressed to enjoy her morning repast with the morning paper.

Hiromi Ayase or Tomoko Urashima (her current alias) had grown accustomed to eating western style breakfasts and no longer ate a traditional Japanese breakfast (which were pretty the same as a traditional Japanese lunches and dinners).

As Hiromi unrolled the paper she saw the headline on the front page, announcing the birth of Coraline Logan. Hiromi frowned as Raven didn't look a day older in the photograph on the front page than she had three months before. Hiromi opened up the netbook she had on the table and went straight to the Jump City newspaper's website. As expected the coverage was much more extensive with several hi res images of Beast Boy and Raven with their newborn daughter.

"Why isn't she aging?" She grumbled as she went into her elegant house. She had no servants other than a cleaning lady who came by twice a week, as she valued her privacy. Hiromi dressed quickly, slipping on some sweats before rifling through the desk in her bedroom, from which she produced several passports. She cycled through them until she stopped at an American passport that identified her as Heather Tanaka.

It was time to visit Jump City; in fact it was a trip that was long overdue she thought.

She quickly booked a direct flight from Osaka to Jump City on her computer and began to pack her bags. She made sure to pack hundreds of Talismans.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was yet again a quiet afternoon in the Tower, as crime seemed to have taken a break and gone on vacation. Raven and Beast Boy were sitting in the circular couch and Starfire was with them, sitting next to Raven, smiling happily. Nightwing was once again unloading the dishwasher, quietly humming to himself as he put the dishes and cutlery away.

The sliding doors to the room swished open, revealing Cyborg who was with the Titans East.

"Raven! We just arrived!" Bumblebee called out as she ran to the couch. "I wanna see little Coraline! Where is she?"

Raven turned around. Her face had an expression of bliss that Bumblebee had never seen on her before

"She's right here Karen." Raven called out.

The 4 male members of Titan's East followed their leader to the couch, but were intercepted by Nightwing.

"Maybe you guys wanna wait." He told Speedy, Aqualad, and Mas y Menos.

"It's OK Dick, they can come." Raven called out.

Nightwing nodded at Raven then turned back to the 4 males from Titans East.

"She's nursing Coraline." Nightwing whispered.

"Nursing? As in …" Aqualad whispered back.

"Yes, as in no bottle or formula. The way nature intended."

"Whoa, thanks for the warning Dick. I'm not sure I wanna see that." Speedy replied as the other 3 nodded their heads.

Beast Boy was watching the scene unfold, clearly amused by the young men's apparent discomfort.

"It's OK guys, Coraline's done with her feeding."

Speedy approached the couch cautiously. As he carefully peered over to make sure Raven was "decent" the sorceress rolled her eyes.

"For Azar's sake, what are you afraid of?"

"Seeing something we shouldn't see." Aqualad volunteered nervously.

Raven handed Coraline to Beast Boy, who proudly displayed her to the young men assembled.

Coraline was gray like her mother and while she was still bald it the first traces of her violet hair were beginning to grow on her scalp. Her eyes were emerald, just like her father's green orbs. Beast Boy extended his pinky to her, which she grabbed onto and squeezed with her tiny fingers, which the changeling kissed. What really stood out though was the peaceful and serene expression on the child's face.

"She's beautiful." Speedy finally commented in an awestruck voice as Raven joined Beast Boy at his side. "You look different Raven." He added.

"Of course she does!" Bumblebee interjected. "She's a mother now."

"Entonces, ya no vas a ser un Titan?" Mas asked.

"Of course I'll still be a Titan." Raven replied. "Gar and I will take turns staying home with her during missions."

"And once Coraline is older I will participate in the taking of the turns." Starfire added.

"Too bad Jinx didn't stay with you guys, she could have helped. Why did she and Wally go back to Central City?" Aqualad asked.

"I think Kid Flash is allergic to babies." Beast Boy replied. "He's even gonna miss the Governor's reception tonight."

The gala event was to be held that evening at a posh hotel downtown, it was going to be attended by the state's elites to honor the Titans. The Logans had originally wanted to decline but Nightwing decided that it would be good PR for the team. Everybody wanted to see the "Titan baby". They hoped that after this was done that they would be left alone, at least for a while.

Speedy crossed his arms and smiled.

"They sure throw a lot of parties for you guys!"

"Duh! How many other superheroes do you know who have a baby?"

"Funny how they never had a celebration for when you defeated Brother Blood." Aqualad complained.

"Everybody loves babies." Raven replied. "Except for Wally."

Coraline was now asleep in her father's arms. Beast Boy walked over to a bassinet that was on the table and placed his precious daughter in it.

"She'll get a good nap before the reception tonight."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The main ballroom in the Grand Astoria Hotel was a whirlwind of activity. Tables and chairs were being brought into the room, table cloths were being extended, plates and cutlery were set with precision, napkins were folded, decorations were hung from the walls and the ceiling.

Everything was on schedule, but the head waiter was in kitchen, and he was unhappy. Five members of his regular wait staff had called in sick with the flu and his only recourse had been to contact a temp agency at the last minute to fill the spots. He had emphatically told the agency scheduler that the servers needed to be experienced and that rookies were unacceptable. She had replied saying that she had just the right people and would send them over immediately.

As he waited for them to arrive he wondered how half his wait staff had suddenly succumbed to the flu, especially since there wasn't an outbreak at the time, it seemed almost unnatural. As he made other preparations he kept checking the clock. The party would be starting in just 20 minutes and they would need to start serving the appetizers soon.

"Where are they?" He grumbled to his second in command.

"Relax Jim, they'll be here soon." She replied as the kitchen doors swung open, revealing 5 uniformed wait staff.

"It's about time, where have you been?" He shouted.

"Sorry sir, the agency van got caught in a traffic jam." A young man replied.

"Whatever … so what are your names?"

"Bob Zarek" The first waiter replied.

"Sheila Johnson."

"Armando Padilla"

"Levar Jones."

"I'm Heather Tanaka." The last waitress replied.

"Ok." Jim began. "Were gonna start with the appetizers, which are shrimp cocktails, except for the vegetarians, who will be served the hummus instead. Miss Tanaka, you'll be serving the vegetarian appetizers and entrees, here's the list of vegetarian guests. Don't screw up!"

"Don't worry sir, everything will go off without a hitch, and that's a promise." Hiromi replied.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Titans and Titans East were seated at the main table, along with the Governor, the Mayor as well as several other dignitaries. Coraline was of course the most popular person at the table that night. Women came over from every table to pay their homage to her, and as the evening progressed she was even bestowed a nickname by the Governor's 12 year old daughter: the Teeny Titan.

The evening began with the usual pomp and circumstance. There were speeches made by politicians, some more self serving than others. The Governor announced new crime fighting programs and with Nightwing made a joint announcement: The Titans would be opening branch teams in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. At the end of the presentation period a local TV station news anchor played a narrated slide show that chronicled the history of the local super hero team, starting with the day that the Gordanians attacked the city.

Raven watched the presentation with keen interest. Some of the sections of the slide show had video clips, but what really had caught her eye were the snapshots and rare video footage of them during the battle with the Gordanians. They had been little more than children back then, barely beginning puberty. She sighed as she saw her long gone 14 year old self on the screen, along with a shot (probably from Cyborg's memory banks) of her helping an injured Beast Boy to his feet, and preparing to protect him from Trogarr who was threatening to eviscerate the changeling with his sharp alien claws.

"You OK Rae? You look like you saw a ghost." Beast Boy asked her.

"I think I did. Seeing those old pictures just reminded me that I'm not young anymore." She replied as a waiter placed a shrimp cocktail in front of her.

"Don't be silly, of course you're young." He chided her as his appetizer appeared before him. He gave it a critical look.

"Hummus, why is it always hummus?" He complained.

"So how old are you now Raven?" Bumblebee asked.

Hiromi had finished serving the hummus, serving Beast Boy last. She grabbed a pitcher of water and made the rounds on the table refilling glasses, using it as an excuse to hover around Raven without drawing attention to herself. Seeing Raven up close she couldn't tell if she had aged at all.

"It's hard to say. The scientists at STAR Labs think they stopped the accelerated aging process when I was still in my late 20's, but that's only an estimate."

"So the virus replacement therapy worked. Are there any side effects?"

"Just my hair, which is still aging at the accelerated rate. I'm actually solid gray now, but I'm coloring it. Eventually it will get brittle and fall out as it continues to age."

"What will you do then? Wear a wig?"

"I don't know, I haven't given it much thought yet, Gar says …"

Hiromi felt a heavy hand on her shoulder.

"Tanaka, stop eavesdropping on the guests and help with collecting the used appetizer plates. We're almost ready to start serving the entrees." The head waiter reprimanded her.

"Yes sir." Hiromi replied as she picked up a tray and started collecting dirty dishes from the table. She cursed Andreas' choice of spell, which had been a magic/science hybrid. His reasoning had been that the hybrid spell would confound any sorcerer who tried to undo it and he had been right. But he had also underestimated the skills of the scientists at STAR Labs.

She would have to correct that mistake.

Scurrying back to the kitchen she dropped off her load of dirty dishes and ducted into a restroom. Lifting her apron she revealed a second apron she wore underneath it, one that had dozens of pockets full of talismans. She quickly rifled through them until she found what she felt was the right one, which she stuffed into a pocket on her waitress apron. As she emerged from the bathroom she ran into the headwaiter, who did not look pleased.

"Where have you been? The entrees are piling up in the kitchen. And don't tell me that nature called! If I catch you shirking one more time I'll have you docked one hour's pay. Do you understand?"

"Sorry, it won't happen again." She muttered as she darted into the kitchen. She picked up the tray that was tagged for the Governor's table and hurried over there. As expected, she was ignored by the guests as she served them the main course. As she was finishing Beast Boy asked her if she could bring them another basket of bread.

"Right away." She replied as she headed back to one of the serving stations, from where she retrieved a bread basket and some butter. As she approached the table she saw that Raven's dress partially exposed her back. She knew that might be her only opportunity. She leaned forward, placing a hand on the back of Raven's chair.

"Excuse me." She apologized as she leaned over Raven, attempting to place the basket on the table. Raven took the basket from her and leaned forward herself, placing it in the center of the round table.

Hiromi stealthily slapped the talisman on the back of the chair, while Raven handed the empty basket back to her.

"Thank you miss." Hiromi mumbled, worried that Raven would recognize her, which she did not.

As the evil sorceress scurried back to the kitchen she muttered a spell to activate the talisman. All she had to do now was to wait for Raven to lean back and come into contact with it, and she didn't have to wait long.

While Hiromi served another table Raven finally leaned back in her chair and her exposed back came into contact with the talisman. Beast Boy was holding Coraline as Raven shrieked in pain and fell to the floor, writhing in agony. Hiromi was as the far side of the room and grinned. She put down her tray and left with a stealth worthy of a feline.

"Rae! What's wrong?" Beast Boy panicked. As he leaned down to assist her he saw the talisman stuck to the chair back.

"No!" He screamed. "Nooo!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I'm in a cliffhanger mode this weekend!

Also, in case you don't know, I've restarted "Reimagined: Tough Times in Jump City." If you liked the original Tough Times you'll like Reimagined even more. It's not just a rewrite, the story is quite different.

And now it's mailbag time!

**xXCanaryXx** - "8'-)

She was born. Magnificent...

I am speechless right now, so I won't say very much.

...Update soon."

_Thanks! I hope this chapter didn't leave you even more speechless._

**almostinsane** - "Great chapter! LOL. Poor guys... Their wives/girlfriends are going to force them into being dads whether they like it or not. Just a question. I don't know much about these things, but aren't babies spanked after being delivered so they'd start breathing or something? Anyway, thanks for writing this. God bless!"

_I believe babies are only slapped if they do not start breathing on their own after being born._

**qqkazzu** - "This chapter seemed very... interim i suppose would be the correct term. I wish we could have seen more of baby Coraline before the end, but i suppose it's being kept till next chapter. and also, poor Cy, not gettin' any out of all the titans; even wally and jinx are gettin' it on. well, couldn't really say much so Adieu!"

_I thought Coraline (the Teeny Titan) deserved her own chapter._

**still too old for this** - "Not much to say this time other than, Congratulations Gar and Raven on the birth of your daughter. (Nicely handled.)"

_Thanks._

**GreenRock** - "Again, this is just the calm before the storm before something incredibly bad happens to the Titans. Hiromi will no doubt resort to extreme, desperate measures in order to rescue her beloved Andreas; and will not allow anyone to get in her way. One can only imagine what those measures will involve and who may suffer as a result of said measures."

_The storm has indeed begun._

**Shyguy1** - "Raven's got a baby! I love what wally said "But I can go, right?" poor innocent Wally... well, just poor Wally. Loved this chap. Keep Writing."

_Some people might think that BB was nuts for falling for Raven, but I've always thought that Jinx makes Raven look like a sweetie pie. Poor Wally indeed!_

**crazynerd** - "Awwwwww I am sooo happy that coraline is born. I almost cried.

I like how the titans realized that they are growing up and all the changes that happened over the years.

Great chapter."

_Coraline will have a major role in the remainder of the story._

**FelynxTiger** - "damn ... my email isnt working T.T but i found the next chapter ha! take that hotmail.

i think u express Raven's emotions pretty good

Yay for baby caroline now i wonder witch powers does she have :p

hah well that what times does it change you , the dialogue between the males was funny XD that what the are always thinking

seeunextchapter"

_Guys are always scared of babies; they see them as an impediment to their freedom._

**RainingHearts4Ever** - "if addiction to this story is illegal, then ur going to have to arrest me!"

_The police are on their way._

**The Cretan** - "Good update. Can't wait to see what BB thinks of her. Coraline's a miracle, considering many hybrids (like Raven) can't easily reproduce. Hope Star also gets to have hers, once again hybrids though. Got a feelin Hiromi'll be showin up soon. However, if she messes with the baby I'd hate to see what the parents do. Keep rockin. Your ever faithful reader, the Cretan."

_In the coming chapters we will see that Coraline and Dad will become very close._

**titanfan45** - "The image of the Titan guys cowering in the med bay cracked me up, especially Robin's remark."

_Like I said, babies are scarier than any villain! The sense of responsibility can be overwhelming._

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "Oh well, Coraline's is born and now Hiromi will wreck havoc on the Titans, argh :( Oh well back to biz with the Titans against Hiromi, and probably Gar will really tap in to his Animal Kingdom catalogue and do an awesome combo like his comic counterpart on the Future Is Now Arc."

_Hiromi is a real pain, isn't she?_

**St. Jack of randomness** - "Dude, this story is gettin' good. I'm glad Coraline wasn't effected by the curse. Speaking of Coraline, I like that name, it's a common name for the character of Raven and BB's daughter, but I still like it. Have you ever seen the movie Coraline?"

_I haven't seen the movie yet. It's on my to-do list._


	28. A Difficult Choice

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Raven was writhing in pain on the floor. The Mayor was on his feet, waving frantically with both arms as he summoned the security detail that was present in the room. Meanwhile the more curious guests at the other tables had also stood up, even standing on the chairs as they tried to get a better look at what was happening at the table of honor. The murmurs began to echo throughout the ballroom.

Beast Boy was still screaming as he panicked and Coraline began to cry in his arms. Raven was still on the floor, twisting in agony, clenching her teeth as she tried to cope with the excruciating pain that was consuming her.

Nightwing leaped over the table, doing a flip and landed on one knee next to Raven, followed by Starfire who flew over the table while Cyborg ran around it.

"Beast Boy, what happened?" Nightwing shouted.

Beast Boy was still clutching his now screaming daughter, who added to the overall sense of mayhem and pandemonium in the room. Nightwing gasped when he saw the look of terror on the changeling's face. Unable to speak, Beast Boy pointed at the talisman that was still stuck to the chair. By this point they were surrounded by a crowd who also saw the strange paper talisman with the Kanji script on it. A matronly woman was standing next to the chair and reached for the talisman.

"Don't touch it! It's dangerous!" Nightwing bellowed. The woman withdrew her hand as if the talisman was a deadly cobra.

Starfire took Coraline from Beast Boy and attempted to calm her while the changeling cradled Raven in his arms as he knelt next to her. Much to his immediate relief he felt Raven's body begin to relax as she breathed heavily.

"Rae! Are you OK?"

"The pain." She panted. "It's … going … away."

Beast Boy looked back at the talisman.

"Star, what does the talisman say?"

Starfire cautiously approached the chair and studied the writing on the paper charm.

"It is hard to say. There are symbols I do not recognize, perhaps they are archaic. There is one kanji character that I do recognize. It says "again".

"No, it can't be." Beast Boy whispered in both fear and disbelief as Raven sat up.

"It is." Raven confirmed as she rubbed her head. "The curse is back."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Once again Raven found herself wearing a hospital gown while sitting on the examination table in the Tower's infirmary. Cyborg had already drawn a few blood and tissue samples. He performed the blood analysis himself while Beast Boy, who was cradling a sleeping Coraline in his arms, stood beside his wife. Nightwing and Starfire hovered in a far corner, whispering to each other while they sported solemn expressions.

After what felt like an eternity Cyborg looked up from the microscope on the workbench.

"Your blood looks normal." He announced in an uncharacteristic deadpan before turning on the chromosome analyzer that STAR labs had shipped him to monitor Raven's telomeres on a periodic basis. Raven noticed that he bit his lower lip as he inserted the tissue sample he had taken from the back of her hand. The machine began to make clicking and whirring sounds.

"It's gonna take an hour. Maybe you guys should go back to your room and rest." He suggested to the Logans.

Raven stood up and Starfire helped her slip into a robe and a pair of slippers. Beast Boy kissed her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as he led her out of the infirmary. After the door slid shut Nightwing slammed his fist down on a table.

"It's not fair! She had beat the curse, and now it's back!"

"We don't know that Nightwing. It might be something else. I already made an appointment at STAR Labs tomorrow, I'm taking them there myself."

"How did we not recognize her?" The former Boy Wonder castigated himself. "She was that Asian waitress, why didn't I notice?"

"Don't beat yourself up Dick. Almost 20% of Jump City's residents are Asian; you see them all the time. She just blended in."

Nightwing moaned as his wife placed a consoling hand on his shoulder.

"I should have noticed. I let my guard down for a moment and Raven's gonna pay the price! Some leader I am!"

Cyborg gave Starfire a look which she immediately understood.

"Come Richard, it is late. We should go and rest as well."

"She's right man. There's nothing to do but wait for this test to complete."

Richard Grayson had always been the stubborn and obsessive Titan. Before he could protest he felt his wife's vise like grip around his wrist. The subject was not up for discussion. He heaved a deep sigh.

"I guess I could use a catnap. You'll let I us know as soon as you have any news, right?"

"You can count on it man."

Cyborg watched as the Grayson's left the infirmary. As soon as the door slid shut the tin man muttered sotto voce.

"He's right, we should have seen her. _**I should have noticed**_."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hiromi kicked back in her ample First Class seat on the AeroMexico airliner that was bound for Caracas, Venezuela. As expected a dragnet had been set at Jump City International Airport, but she wasn't there. She has used a series of talismans to teleport herself in 30 mile steps to the Tijuana airport, where she waltzed onto the airliner without a care. Her plan was to bounce around South America for a few months, spending most of her time in the penthouse that Andreas owned in Montevideo under an alias. She would wait a few months before returning to Okinawa.

The flight attendant poured a refill in her champagne glass and Hiromi watched the bubbles float to the surface. She raised her glass in a mock toast.

_Here's to you Raven. Enjoy the short time you have left._

Hiromi grinned.

_And this time those eggheads at STAR Labs won't be able to help you._

Hiromi consumed the contents of her glass in a single gulp. She sighed happily as she handed her glass back to the flight attendant.

Life was good, very good. Revenge had never tasted so sweet.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Beast Boy gently placed Coraline in her crib. She fussed for a moment but settled down back into a deep sleep. He covered his little gray princess with a pink blanket, yet another gift from Starfire. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Raven sitting on the edge of their bed, still dressed in her hospital gown, with a vacant look on her face. He sat down next to her and took her hand.

Raven began to sob. At the moment he felt like crying as well, but instead he held her tight as she continued to cry.

"Don't be afraid, Raven."

"I'm not afraid. I know there's life on the other side. But it's not fair, I want to be with you, to grow old WITH you, I want us to raise our baby together. Now you're going to have to do it alone, without me."

"We don't know that Raven. I'll bet the people at STAR Labs will find another solution."

Raven shook her head.

"No, they didn't make the same mistake twice. They wouldn't. This time I'm doomed, I just know it."

She buried her face in his chest and he gently stroked her head.

"We'll work it out Raven, no matter what happens."

She raised her head and stared into his deep emerald eyes.

"Gar, promise me something …"

"Anything you want Rae."

She sniffled before continuing.

"Whatever you do after I'm gone, don't spend the rest of your life mourning me. Find someone else … just … remember to live."

"You're not going to die Rae. We'll find a solution to this. And aren't we jumping to conclusions here? We don't even know that the aging curse is back. For all we know whatever she did backfired."

Raven sighed.

"I doubt it. I'm the devil's spawn Gar, bad things are supposed to happen to me…"

"Don't say things like that Raven. You aren't evil, and neither is our daughter."

Raven's eyes popped wide open and she bolted to the crib. Coraline was sleeping peacefully on her side. Raven cried as she looked at her. She was so perfect, so precious. Gar was right; Coraline wasn't evil, even though her grandfather was Trigon the Terrible.

"Forgive me Gar, I'm being a coward and allowing myself to despair. I should be ashamed of myself. No matter what happens to me I'm very lucky. I met you and even though I treated you like dirt when we were younger you loved me and now we have a beautiful daughter…"

"You're not a coward Raven, you're probably the bravest person I ever met…"

Beast Boy's speech was interrupted by knock on the door. Raven gestured and her dark energy opened the door, revealing Cyborg's figure.

"I'm sorry to bother you guys … uh … the test is done." He replied with a hangdog expression on his face.

Raven sighed.

"It's back, isn't it?" She asked.

Cyborg averred his eyes to the floor.

"I'm sorry." He replied. "I wish I had better news."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The T-ship streaked across the morning sky, saluting the rising sun with its wings as it banked away from it. Starfire craned her neck as she caught a glimpse of the Tower before Cyborg flew into a cloud, blocking her view. It shimmered as if made of gold, its arms spread in a protective gesture over the bay's still gray morning water. They had done so well in the past; never failing to protect the city, but who she wondered would protect Raven?

Within minutes the T-ship was cruising at 40,000 feet, and they had two hours to kill until they reached Metropolis. The interior of the T-Ship was loud, even noisier than the loudest airliner. Raven began to nurse her daughter while Beast Boy stroked the baby's scalp; her violet hair was getting longer now. She didn't acknowledge her father's gentle caresses as she seemed to be content to suckle at her mother's gray breast. Raven had her hood down and the changeling saw once again that she looked peaceful and fulfilled in her maternal role. Raven, perhaps the mightiest of the Titans looked delicate and gentle as she gazed lovingly upon her daughter's face.

Beast Boy soaked in the picture before him. He had always thought of Raven as a beauty, perhaps as a creepy beauty when he first met her, but a beauty nonetheless. But now he thought she transcended beauty as she delicately held and nursed their daughter. He suddenly felt overcome by a sense of awe and shivered, which did not go unnoticed by his wife.

"Are you OK?" She asked him.

"Yeah, sure." He paused. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?"

She rolled her eyes as she replied.

"You do every night after I take my clothes off." She replied in her monotone.

He shook his head.

"No, I mean … you're really beautiful … I mean right now."

"I was under the impression that guys thought nursing was gross …"

"Come on Rae, I'm being serious."

The sorceress leaned over and gave him a tender kiss.

"I know … thank you." She paused. "You make me feel beautiful."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The environment at the famous research lab felt oppressive this time, one didn't need to be an empath to tell that the scientists were not feeling upbeat this time around. Nightwing had booked rooms at a nearby hotel for the team to stay at during the weeklong stay while the researchers did their work. Raven and Beast Boy would go in every morning and the scientists would run tests on both Raven and Coraline. Mercifully Coraline appeared to be free of the rapid aging that plagued her mother.

Nightwing had tried to keep his friends spirits up but after a few days the lack of good news got to him as well. He even asked Superman to come visit, which the Man of Steel did along with Supergirl. They shared many of their own stories where they overcame insurmountable odds. Raven thanked them and put on her most positive face. It wasn't until their last day at the lab that they finally received some news.

They arrived punctually for the 10 AM appointment. A STAR Labs staffer led them to a conference room, where Dr. Colette Winter was waiting for them by herself. The woman had a troubled expression on her face which she wiped away when the 5 Titans and the baby entered the room. Coraline was sleeping peacefully in her mother's arms and Dr. Winter invited them to sit down with a gesture of her hand.

"I think I have some good news, but first some background on what we've learned this week." The scientist announced as she started a PowerPoint presentation.

"Last time we isolated a strange virus that was causing your premature aging Raven and we neutralized it with a virus substitution. Our initial research was to see if that kind of therapy would work again. What we discovered at first was that it was not a virus this time, so we began a long battery of tests. We couldn't find anything unusual with you Raven, except that your telomeres are wearing out prematurely. The bottom line is that we don't have an explanation of why this is happening."

The scientist advanced the presentation to the next page.

"We also examined Coraline and found that she did not inherit this affliction from you. Her telomeres look normal."

Raven nodded her head.

"Thank you Doctor, that is one burden less for us to worry about. It is indeed good news." Raven replied.

The Dr. smiled.

"I'm not done yet, there's more. Raven, is it possible for you to transfer your consciousness to another body?"

The team gasped, as they had a hunch of what she was talking about.

"In theory, yes I can send my soul self to inhabit another body. You're thinking of a clone, am I right?"

Dr. Winter nodded.

"But wouldn't my clone also have the aging blight?" Raven asked.

"It would, but we are thinking of cloning your daughter. We have determined that 98% of her DNA is identical to yours. You would still have your powers and even look like you do now, except for the green eyes. We should be able to have a fully grown clone ready within a month …"

Raven shook her head.

"I can't do that."

"What?" Beast Boy shouted. "Why not?"

Raven gave her husband a sad look.

"It would be murder Gar, even a clone as a soul. If I take over a body I would have to evict its current inhabitant. I can't do that."

"Damn." Beast Boy muttered. He then sighed.

"I understand Rae."

Dr. Winter turned off the projector.

"I'm sorry, but that's all we could come up with."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The trip home had been somber and quiet. They all knew that it was a long shot but deep down they had not been expecting to return home empty handed.

Beast Boy felt a cloud of oppression hang over him. Dr. Winter had told them that while Raven would age rapidly that she would remain in above average health for her biological age. This meant that when she would be 60 years old that, depending on how much she exercised, she might have the body of a 40 year old, especially considering her half demon physiology. She said that there was no reason why Raven couldn't live 3 to 4 more years and that they would continue searching for a solution during that time.

Beast Boy was determined to make the most of the time they had left. He was going to suggest that he and Raven take a leave of absence from their superhero duties. He knew it wouldn't be too long before she would be too weak to be an active member of the team and he expected Nightwing to agree with his request.

He had never felt so helpless in his life. When his parents died it was quick and sudden. He had been there to witness it and like now he was powerless to stop it. But it had been sudden and it was soon over. He had mourned them, and in fact he still did, but it was now in the past. It was the same with Terra's death.

This time it would be different. He was going to get to watch Raven slowly wither away, knowing the inevitable outcome of the slow motion train wreck he was doomed to watch. He would begin to mourn before she even died. And he was dreading the final year where Raven would be infirm and decrepit. That period would only serve to hammer home their defeat.

Raven napped most of the way home while he held their daughter in his arms.

There had to be a way out of this nightmare, there had to be a way.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The T-ship arrived late at the Tower the night before and the 5 heroes retired to their quarters. Nightwing informed them that there would be no missions the following day and they would have a meeting to discuss how the team would continue to operate in the immediate future.

Beast Boy slept deeply that night but woke up early for some odd reason. He immediately noticed that Raven was not in bed with him and he immediately surmised that she was probably nursing Coraline. During Raven's pregnancy Cyborg had combined Beast Boy's old room with Raven's to form a small apartment for them. The changeling immediately noticed that she was not in the rocking chair next to Coraline's crib. He walked over to the crib and saw that his daughter was sleeping peacefully. It was then that his sensitive ears heard Raven's voice through the closed door that separated their bedroom from the rest of the apartment.

"Lesson #5 – Finding your center when you meditate." He heard her muffled voice through the door.

He reached for the door knob but paused as he continued to listen.

"Hello Coraline. By now you should have mastered the Lotus position, which as I told you in the previous lesson is the first step in meditation. Today we will work on the next step, finding your center …"

Not wishing to interrupt Raven he morphed into a fly and crawled under the door. Once he was on the other side he morphed into a green cat and sat down to watch Raven continue with her lesson.

Raven sat calmly on the couch in their living room in front of a camera. A monitor behind the camera showed what the recording looked like. She was seated on the small couch with a three ring binder on the coffee table in front of her and she quietly flipped through the pages as the lesson continued. The lesson was short, about 5 minutes long.

"And this concludes lesson 5. Practice finding your center and when you are ready we can continue with lesson 6. Do not begin lesson 6 until you can find your center."

Raven paused.

"I wish I could have been here to teach you these lessons in person. I love you very much Coraline and I'm sorry I'm not here with you."

She paused again.

"And Gar, if you're watching … I love you too and I'll always be with you."

Raven picked up the remote control and stopped the recording. She then turned to the door and smiled at the green cat that was still seated in front of it. She then patted the space on couch next to her.

Beast Boy resumed his human form, clad only in boxer shorts. He sat down next to her and they shared a tender kiss and embraced each other.

"Don't worry Rae, if you aren't here to teach her I'll make sure that she watches all her lessons, I promise."

Raven squeezed him hard as she buried her face in his shoulder. He had said "if". He was finally beginning to accept what was going to happen.

_If only I could._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I know this is not looking good readers. But no spoilers, I don't want to ruin the ending for you.

And some sad news: The Titans are no longer the genre in cartoons with the most stories. We have been passed by Avatar: the Last Airbender. So get out there and write stories dang it!

And now it's mail bag time:

**bordom kills** - "oh no poor raven hopefully it isnt as deadly as the other curse but then again if it werent things wouldnt be as intresting lol"

_Unfortunately I have chosen the "interesting" path._

**lpwriter4life** - "Grrr... I wanna kick Hiromi's butt now!"

_Get in line!_

**The Cretan** - "I do like a good cliffhanger. I have a feeling that Hiromi will have a lot to answer for by the end of this story. Great update. Keep rockin."

_There will an element of justice in the story, that much I promise._

**xXCanaryXx** - "NOOO

STUUUPID HIROMI!

:'( Why did she do thaaaat? x(

Just when the baby was born, STUPID Hiromi had to put a talisman on Raven's chair. :(

WHAT will happen to Raven? I hope she doesn't start aging again, or she starts dying... *wibble*

Please Update Soon!"

_Things are not looking good for the violet haired sorceress._

**TCNinja96** - "I kinda regret waiting 27 chapters to review this story (which btw is incredible!).

Oh how I hate you Hiromi! I hope BB completely kicks her ass in the next chapter!

Congrats on Coraline being a completely and utterly darling baby. I love the idea of Raven being a mum :)

Awesom chapter can't wait 4 the nxt 1!"

_Thanks! And welcome to the pantheon of reviewers!_

_I always encourage people to review any story they read and like. Reviews mean a great deal to authors._

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "ARGH! That fecken , now's Gar's royally pissed now, Next chappie he'll be on a rampage and shreds Hiromi's talismans to bits."

_Hiromi knows she now has a bull's-eye on her back._

**Shyguy1** - "Comparatively, yes. Raven has way more control than Jinx. Jinx just kinda... does what she wants to when she wants to. Hiromi just got herself in a big mess of trouble. She's in the city of the Teen Titans with both the original and titans east, and she just attacked one of their members. I'll have to say that that wasn't one of her best plans."

_She had her escape well planned. Still, even the best made plans can go wrong._

**RainingHearts4Ever** - "oh no, they're breaking down my door!

"U R UNDER ARREST FOR LIKING THIS STORY TO MUCH!"

YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME COPPERS! I LOVE THIS STORY AND I ALWAYS WILL!"

_Lucky for you Batman is busy chasing down the Joker._

**FelynxTiger** - "holy cliffhangers !

and when everything was just normal , i can believe Raven did't sense anything maybe she was distracted with Coraline

whatawaits Gar?"

_I'm glad I'm not him._

**GreenRock** - "Ah, my tounge is salivating bucket-loads at this cliffhanger. If this story has shown anything, it's that no matter what sticky situation any of the Titans are in, they always seem to wriggle their way out of peril; so I won't assume that this business with this talisman signals doom and gloom just yet.

However, I cannot wait to see the final confrontation between Hiromi and the Titans . . . it will be mecha-awesome."

_Cliffhangers are our specialty (said in an Obi Wan Kenobi like voice)._


	29. The Deal

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Beast Boy stirred in the early morning hours and with the cobwebs still clouding his vision he fumbled for his alarm clock. It was 4:17 AM, which meant one thing: Raven was recording lessons. With his other arm he reached out to the other half of the bed and confirmed that his wife had indeed got up at 3:30 AM, like she had been doing every morning for the past 4 weeks. She had told him that she wished to complete recording the 2000 plus lessons for Coraline before she began to look "old". The sorceress said that she didn't want Coraline to see her age as the lessons progressed.

Raven would spend a few hours each afternoon preparing the lessons she would record the following morning. Her plan was to have Beast Boy begin the training when Coraline turned 8 years of age and that she would "graduate" when she turned 14. The curriculum and its timing were patterned on the training Raven had received at the monastery in Azarath.

Beast Boy knew why he was waking up early every morning. It wasn't because Raven disturbed his slumber when she rose for her predawn ritual, she was always careful to not disturb him when she rose.

It was because he was having nightmares every night. And it was the same nightmare every time. He would be sitting at Raven's bedside on her last day. She looked wrinkled, old and very weak. Then, as it happened every night, she would flat line and die. But what happened after that was the worst part. She turned to dust and blew away, along with all her belongings. Once the wind stopped he found himself standing in an empty room.

Beast Boy did not get up and instead he closed his eyes, trying to forget the recurring dream as he did every morning. He knew that there was no point in interrupting Raven as it would only slow her down. They had established a routine, she would come back to bed after she finished. He would awake and they would share themselves with each other, savoring it as if it were the last time it would happen.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was yet another cold rainy day, which was good as that meant there would be no missions as the bad guys, at least the easy ones, seemed to prefer to stay home when it was cold and wet outside. Raven and Starfire were sitting in a far corner of the common room and Starfire held young Coraline in her arms, while Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing some car racing game on the GameStation, with the volume turned down at Raven's request. Six weeks had passed since returning from Metropolis and the calm, domestic scene in the common room was actually a brief break the Titans were taking from their search for a solution to Raven's problem.

Upon returning they had called upon Li Meng to help them once again. They had tapped into Li's knowledge of Japanese and Asian sorcery, of which she was one of the top practitioners in the whole world. Her first task was to study the talisman left on the chair, to decipher the strange symbols that Starfire did not recognize as kanji. It turns out they were not kanji symbols at all but were more closely related to the ancient runes of Scath. After further study Li concluded that the magic employed was a European-Asian-Trigonic hybrid.

She set to work with Raven to learn more about the strange talisman, to find a weakness, a loophole in the spell. After a week of trying to crack its secrets they were at an impasse and Li admitted temporary defeat.

At that point the group from Amorista Lane offered their help, and Li called for additional assistance from the Zurich group as well. It was then that they learned that Elfreide had vanished mysteriously shortly after Andreas had been captured. Tomas Kuether was dismayed and embarrassed that a spy had so easily infiltrated their organization

Unfortunately like the first time around no progress was made, even though more was known about the nature of the curse. Still they kept trying, feeling the sands of time slipping away.

Raven began a strict exercise regimen to keep herself fit, which she performed every afternoon. It was now estimated that she was 35 years old and with the workouts she still looked to be in her mid to late 20's. She continued dyeing her hair to complete the illusion, but the fact remained that the clock was still ticking.

That Beast Boy was distracted was obvious to Cyborg as the changeling's efforts at the videogame were barely halfhearted. After losing yet another game he tossed the controller aside. Cyborg got up from the circular couch and stretched, after which he offered to make dinner, even though it wasn't his turn, even offering to prepare a tofu dish for the green Titan. As he began to assemble the set of pots and pans he was going to need Nightwing entered the common room with some papers in his hand.

"I have some news." The masked Titan announced as he sat with Raven and Starfire at their table. He was quickly joined by Cyborg and the changeling.

"I was talking with Bruce and he told me that the Justice League is sending Zatanna and Dr. Fate to help."

Nightwing could tell that the glimmer of hope he hoped to see had been tempered by lack of success they had encountered so far. They knew that they needed a miracle at this point.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The wind was blowing vigorously as the Justice League shuttle came to a soft landing on the Tower's rooftop. Nightwing alone stood next to the landing platform as the silver colored craft alighted with the grace of a ballerina and immediately shut down its engines. He stood still, with his arms folded behind his back as a hatch opened on the side of the now silent ship and a small staircase extended itself from the ship's entryway.

Zatanna was the first to emerge. She wore a silky, flowing black dress and a long black cape which billowed in the wind along with her long black hair. Her eyes had a deep piercing look. The last time Nightwing had seen her he was not only still Robin, he was still the Dark Knight's sidekick. His first impression was of how much she had changed. She had abandoned her old stage magician look and she looked far more intimidating than in the 'old days' when she visited Wayne Manor. It suddenly occurred to Nightwing that she was a perfect match for Bruce and briefly wondered why the two hadn't paired up, permanently.

Dr. Fate emerged next. He looked equally stern as he climbed down the stairs and carried the Helm of Nabu at his side. Nightwing had never met the mysterious mage before and found him to be even more inscrutable than Raven ever was.

"Zatanna, Dr. Fate I welcome you to Titans Tower."

Zatanna greeted him with a smile.

"You certainly have grown up Richard Grayson; I still remember when you were but a small child. Now I am told that you have married … and into royalty no less. Not bad for a former circus acrobat."

Dr. Fate merely nodded his head in greeting to the former Boy Wonder.

"I can't thank both of you enough for coming. I don't need to tell you how much is hanging on finding a way to cancel Raven's curse."

"It is our honor and pleasure to come to Raven's aid. The world owes her a great debt." Dr. Fate replied.

Nightwing felt a heavy lump form in the pit of his stomach. This was going to be the last stand. Zatanna had sent him a message describing how she and Dr. Fate had devised a plan, which so far they had not revealed. He was beginning to despair given the overwhelming lack of success they had so far. While he hid it from his teammates and even from his wife Starfire, he was afraid that this attempt would fail as well, and if that was the case he knew they would be out of options. There would be nothing left to do but wait for Raven to age 50 to 80 years in a 2-3 year time span, and then watch her die of old age.

It was obvious that this tragedy would affect Beast Boy the most, but what Dick had told no one was that it would affect him almost as deeply and painfully as would the changeling. While Nightwing was neither Raven's spouse nor mate, he did have a very special bond with her, a bond that in some ways was even more intimate than the one the sorceress shared with her spouse.

Everyone knew that Raven had once entered his mind when he was suffering from the drug induced hallucinations where he encountered Slade. But their bond was much more than that. Theirs was a special friendship, rooted in the deepest respect for each other. Some might describe it as that of siblings, but it was more than that. Over the years the grey sorceress had become part of Dick's own self, and with her death he knew that there would be a void and a wound in his soul that would never heal.

"Please follow me. The team is assembled in the common room."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Starfire and Raven were finishing cleaning up after dinner, while Beast Boy was seated on the couch, cradling his daughter in his arms. She was awake and gazed up into her father's face with her emerald green eyes.

A few months had passed since her birth and Coraline was growing like the proverbial weed. Her father was still in awe over his precious gift. He knew that he now felt different, older and more mature. He also felt an incredible burden of responsibility towards the new life he cradled in his arms. Yet at the same time he was still overcome with wonder as he stared in Coraline's eyes and she appeared to stare back. Even though he really had no way of knowing he was convinced she was destined for greatness, just like her mother. Raven had already confirmed that Coraline was gifted with powers like her own.

The changeling kissed his daughter's forehead as the doors to common room slid open, revealing Nightwing and the two dignitaries they had all been expecting to arrive with great anticipation.

Raven and Starfire had finished their task in the kitchen and joined Beast Boy and Cyborg who had already risen from the couch to greet the two wizards.

"Thanks for coming; it means a lot to us." Beast Boy greeted them. Zatanna approached him and caressed Coraline's scalp.

"You have a lovely daughter; it's very rare for superheroes to have offspring." She announced.

"I can already tell that she is destined to be exceptional, like her parents." Dr. Fate added.

"Thank you, it's very kind of you to say that." Raven replied.

Zatanna cleared her throat.

"I think we should get to the matter at hand. I don't wish to appear rude, but our presence is required elsewhere. We made time to come here due to the timeliness and urgency of your situation Raven."

"There is no need to apologize, I understand and I am grateful that you have taken time to come help me."

"Very well, let us get started." Dr Fate announced. "After much brainstorming Zatanna and I came up with an idea. The original approach used by the scientists from STAR Labs, the virus replacement therapy, proided us with inspiration."

Zatanna continued. "We thought; why not replace the curse with a lesser curse, one that won't kill you Raven."

Beast Boy's eyes grew wide.

"Dude! You can do that?"

Dr. Date nodded.

"We think we might be able to do just that."

"How?" Raven asked.

"The chamber where you first became Trigon's portal, it should still be saturated with residual power left behind by Trigon when he first came through the gate. We believe that we can tap into that power and replace the curse with another one, since the original curse was done through Trigon's power we think it should work." Zatanna confirmed. "There are no guarantees of course, but we really think that it has a good chance of succeeding."

"You mentioned a replacement curse. What did you have in mind?" Nightwing asked.

"We were concerned about that, as we didn't want to replace one burden with another one. After some research I found a curse that gives its recipient unnaturally bad luck at games of chance. Since Raven is not a gambler we figured it would be harmless to her." Dr. Fate replied.

"Works for me." Raven replied, beaming hopefully.

"That is what we thought. Shall we proceed to the chamber?" Dr. Fate replied.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The old condemned public library had been completely demolished by Trigon's arrival years before and was the one structure that was not restored by Raven's white energy when she destroyed her father. Instead a large geodesic dome had been built over the site and scientific research was conducted under the dome as scientists attempted to learn more about interdimensional portals by studying the residual energy that had been imprinted into the chambers very own walls and floor, that same energy that Zatanna and Dr. Fate were going to tap into in order to swap curses on Raven.

They drove to the site in two cars; Cyborg of course was behind the wheel in the T-Car while Nightwing piloted a more conventional sedan. Coraline came along as there was nobody outside of her immediate Titan family that Raven would entrust with her daughter.

As the cars approached the site the dome loomed ahead. It had a radius of 200 meters and was visible from most parts of town. They were waved through a security checkpoint and parked in a lot next to the dome's main entrance, where they were greeted the site administrator, a Dr. Jarvis Brown, who led them in. He informed them that most of the staff had gone home for the day and that they would have complete privacy in the chamber, which of course was now an open pit.

Nightwing thanked Dr. Brown and they proceeded down the circular stairs that led to the bottom of the pit. The scene brought back memories to the four Titans who had one walked down those same stairs where they encountered Trigon's spectral guards. The ghostly warriors were no longer present, much to the relief of the four, who did notice that the steps that Cyborg had accidentally destroyed with his sonic cannon had been replaced with industrial grade steel steps.

The descent was slow and felt eerie. Even those who did not have magical sensitivity could feel the echo like remnants of Trigon's power. No one spoke during the 15 minute trek to the chamber, except for Raven who cooed Coraline, calming her as it was obvious that the infant could sense the evil that permeated the pit into which they were descending.

Eventually they reached the chamber. The horrid claw like hand that had once served as the dark altar upon which Raven had once been sacrificed was mercifully still gone. The chamber was definitely a focus point for the demonic energy that pervaded the entire complex. The Titans felt an overwhelming sense of dread, not unlike when they had watched Raven's body disintegrate when she became the portal years before. Coraline began to cry and Raven attempted futilely to calm her.

Dr. Fate placed the Helm of Nabu on his head and extending his arms he began to feel around, pointing his arms as if they were a divining rod. He began to walk around the chamber, first quickly but eventually slowing until he finally stopped. Pulling a piece of chalk from his pocket he traced an 'X' on the ground.

"Are you ready Raven?"

She nodded as she handed Coraline to her husband.

"X marks the spot?" She asked.

Raven didn't need an answer as she stepped onto the marked spot. She was immediately able to feel the demonic energy flow through her body and had to stifle a gasp as it surprised her.

"Yes, it is that strong Raven. Unless you have any objections we will start now."

"I'm ready Dr. Fate."

"Good , just remain standing where you are, other than that there is nothing you need to do."

Raven nodded for them to proceed.

Zatanna began to pour an oily liquid on the floor, forming a crude circle around Raven. Once that was completed it began to glow, along with a pentagram and dozens of glyphs reminiscent of Scath's own runes, which began to appear on Raven's body, bringing back unpleasant memories to the five Titans assembled while Coraline resumed crying.

Zatanna and Dr. Fate began to walk around the circle and began chanting in a strange and guttural language that Raven immediately recognized as the language of demons. She swallowed hard but remained calm as she felt the energy surge through her body as if it were an electric current.

The chants grew louder and faster and Raven felt the power burning through her veins as if her blood was boiling. She continued to listen to the chants which soon shifted gears as the two wizards began to utter the substitution spell.

Raven felt that she was beginning to levitate and her arms extended themselves without her ordering them to do so. She felt her heart pounding in her chest and noticed that she breathing so quickly that she was on the verge of hyperventilating. Summoning all her willpower she regained control and continued listening as the substitution spell was coming to a close.

As Zatanna and Dr. Fate completed their chant Raven floated back to the ground, her legs looked wobbly and rubbery but she remained standing.

"Did it work?" Beast Boy shouted.

"I'm not sure, but I do feel …" Raven was interrupted by a blast of red energy that enveloped her. She immediately was rendered unconscious and fell to the ground, which she hit with a dull thud.

"RAE!" Beast Boy shrieked in terror. He handed Coraline to Starfire and ran to his wife's side.

"Raven, RAVEN!" She continued to scream as he picked her up and cradled her in his arms. To his immense and immediate relief she was still breathing. As he clutched her tightly a deep and familiar voice echoed throughout the chamber.

"You didn't really think it would be that easy, did you? Did you believe for even a moment that I had not anticipated this feeble attempt to save my dear daughter's life?"

Everyone present shuddered as a giant, translucent version of the dreaded red trans-dimensional demon rose before them.

"What did you do to her?" Beast Boy growled fearlessly at the holographic like Trigon that towered before him.

"I did nothing to harm her; it was your own feeble and foolish attempt to substitute the curse that harmed her. But do not fear green changeling, your mate is not permanently damaged."

"What do you want Trigon? Haven't you done enough to us?" Beast Boy snarled at the red demon's image.

Trigon narrowed his eyes and grinned.

"I have come to offer you a deal changeling."

"What kind of deal?" He replied between clenched teeth.

"I can give her back to you."

"You're lying. You told Raven that even you couldn't remove the curse."

"That is correct green one. But I can allow the substitution spell to work."

Beast Boy felt his heart leap into his throat. It was too good to be true. It had to be if Trigon was involved.

"You aren't doing this out of the goodness of your heart Trigon. Knowing you there's a terrible price to pay for this favor."

"It's not as bad as you think." The demon taunted him.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

Trigon crossed his arms triumphantly and grinned.

"I want my granddaughter. Surrender Coraline to me and Raven will live."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Another evil cliffhanger! Come on, you expected nothing less of me, right?

This week the mailbag was very big (thank you), so without further ado:

**oj-angel1573** - "wow, i was almost crying, plz plz plz plz PLZ dont let rae dye! IF YOU DO I WILL SUE YOU FOR TRAUMATICALLY CORRUPTING MY MENTAL WELL-BEING THROUGH LITERATURE!so plz at least let her an gar an corraline live! and the titans, that is all i care about!"

_I'm afraid that you will have to wait until next chapter to find out what happens. Sorry!_

**LoveBassClarinet** - "Congratulations... you've made me cry..."

_Thanks! Don't get me wrong, it's knowing that I could do that that lets me know I'm doing something right._

**Beast Boy** - "I Really love this fic ! Please keep on writing more chapters , don´t stop here!

Saludos!"

_Have no fear! I will finish this story. And probably not the way you expect._

**Bigguido** - "Sad but, great chapter I would now burn the curse book with that sorcerer in it as a consolation prize. But, if not looking forward to the conclusion."

_There is much left to happen_

**mrsivy100** - "awsome story but why they were so happy well i know it will turn out great and you are an awsome writer"

_Thanks for your kind words._

**TCNinja96** - "NOOOO! I can't believe the curse is back! Just when everything was going so well 2 :( . Great chapter can't wait 4 the next one :)"

_Well here it is! _

**wolfenstien** - "Raven just can't seem to get a break. And I'm sure Hiromi is gonna be wishing she never came back when the Titans get to her, Gar especially... Great work dude :D"

_Hiromi will pay for her crimes, but not in the way most of you are expecting._

**The Cretan** - "I loved the interaction in this one. Not just between BB and Rae but between them all. Awesome how you keep between tragedy and hope. Shows flexibility, a trait of a great writer. As for ATLA vs TT, I hope I don't have to choose, I love both of them and their fandoms. They should do the civil thing and have a face off. I mean they match up so well."

_I just checked and the Titans have pulled back ahead by one story! Now if we could only convince DC to restart the series ... sorry, but so far Young Justice feels wooden to me. Not a viable substitute for the Titans!_

**RainingHearts4Ever** - "i managed to get away from the cops. i just hope that a superhero doesn't come, then i would be in trouble"

_You take your chances I guess._

**lpwriter4life**- "This really, really sucks for BB and Rae but I love the comfort BB gives Rae in this chapter"

_You still haven't told me what "lp" stands for._

**xXCanaryXx** - ":O

Oh man. She is infected yet again. And I understand why she did not wish to do their only solution. Besides, I would definitely only want to live life in my birth body, not a body made in a test-tube that was poked and prodded at.

I adore the idea that Raven is making lessons to teach Coraline to meditate and control her emotions. I remember saw something like that in a movie once.

Yeah I saw that Avatar passed us too. Shoot. CURSE YOU LAST AIRBENDER!

I hope the story will eventually have a happy ending though."

_I promise there will be something at the end that will make you smile. _

**FelynxTiger** - "Noo...!

Woah woah! what? Whoa!

This chapter was extremely sad though i think i like how you describe BB POV at Raven , very sweet!

when i read the part where Raven is doing the video i almost cry =,(

untilnextch."

_I surprised myself with the idea of Raven recording the lessons. It's almost a sign that she's come to terms with what appears is going to happen._

**ComposerDragon** - "man, if you kill off Raven, i gotta say, this'll be one depressing book. i might cry, and then when i go into school all teary eyed and my friends ask why, i'll have to say "HE KILLED OFF RAVEN!" and then they'll look at me funny.

spare me the funny looks, please! there HAS to be a happy ending! happy endings are nice!

good to see that its still written fantastically, even in this depressing segment. i can't imagine how you're gonna pull this one around, (if you do at all) but i can't wait to find out!"

_As I mentioned above, there will be something sweet that will make you smile in the end._

**almostinsane** - "Great chapter! Damn... I say they capture Hiromi and use cold-blooded torture on her and Andreas. Screw the Constitution, they're not U.S. citizens! (gasps) No, I'm becoming what I've always despised... Thanks for writing this. God bless!"

_Don't give Nightwing any ideas!_

**Alexpv22** - "I'm really enjoying this story but I must ask you...PLEASE, IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT'S PURE AND SACRED. DON'T KILL RAVEN! I know it's just a story but I hate it when certain characters die in them.

Please don't let Rae bite the big one, especially now that she's a mother. Can you imagine how this will effect poor little Coraline, not to mention BB

Anyway, great story so far. Looking forward to the next part and best of luck to all those behind this."

_Raven and BB share a tragic youth. Maybe it's character forming?_

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "I'm looking Forward to Gar hunting down Hiromi, and beat her to a pulp, no mercy, he's gonna break her till she can't walk and speak anymore, (thinks of all sorts of devious way to cripple/maim/paralyse Hiromi. hmm maybe a fully extended armbar? Too slow. A quick thai clinch to her neck and then pull said neck so that Gar can deliver a devastating knee on her stomach? Too fast. Maybe a Kimura Submission to choke her off and then proceed to a brutal ground and pound?) every blow is a tribute to Raven if she's to die by that and also a tribute by how unfair life has treated Garfield so he'll be baying for Hiromi's blood and he wouldn't regret crippling/maiming/killing the whore.

Smile as she may Hiromi, but her time's up esp when Gar's start to beat her up senseless and destroy her talismans before she can use em and he'll probably put her severed head as a trophy case."

_I agree that Hiromi shouldn't be so cocky. Stay tuned._

**GreenRock** - "Oh no. Raven has death lingering above her head and TT is no longer no. 1 in the genres. What is this world coming to?

But seriously, this certainly does look bad for Raven. Looks like that no matter what she or any of the other Titans do, the grave is calling her name. Then again . . . the Titans do have a good track record in defying seemingly unbeatable odds; maybe this time . . . who knows.

I gotta say, I love Hiromi. She has been a kick-ass villain and have greatly enjoyed her shenanigans and villanous tyrannies."

_A good villain makes a story. In the show only Slade and Trigon were "good villains". Brother Blood and the Brotherhood of Evil were good attempts, but weren't quite as good in my opinion._

**Thowell3** - "Why Not do what the did in the Comics? Brother Blood in the comics brought Raven Back to Life and made her a new body out of magic and blood. Read Teen Titans (from 2003) 8# - 12# and you'll fully get what I mean. But that's just what I would have done."

_With any story there are always many paths to take, some just as good as others._

**St. Jack of randomness** - "Tsk, Tsk. You're doing exactly what I told you not to in a previous chapter, my friend. You should just go on ahead and change the genre from Drama/Romance to Tragedy/Romance right now. I have a feeling that Coraline is going to grow up slightly depressed by the fact that she never really knew."

_Had I labeled it as a tragedy would you have read it? _


	30. Every day is precious

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Trigon crossed his arms triumphantly and grinned.

"I want my granddaughter. Surrender Coraline to me and Raven will live."

Beast Boy stared incredulously at the ghostlike incarnation of his father-in-law. At first his face was paralyzed in shock but that expression was soon gone as his face was now ravaged with anger and fury. He opened his mouth to reply, to tell the red monster to go to hell, but before any words could emerge he heard a familiar sound, one of energy bursts crackling in the air and he smelled the familiar aroma of ozone as Starfire's star bolts rained down angrily on Trigon, passing through the red specter as he began to laugh.

"Have you forgotten that I am dead princess? If your feeble powers couldn't harm me when I was alive, they certainly can't hurt me now that I am no longer among the living!"

The red devil gave his son-in-law a malicious grin. Beast Boy scowled before finally replying.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Haven't you done enough to us already? And do you really think that I can choose between Raven and my daughter?"

"Is it really that hard changeling? Think about it, you can have more children, many more children, I'll even restore Raven so that she's 21 years old again."

"You can't be serious! I can't make that choice."

Trigon began to pace around the chamber, never taking his hungry, predatory eyes off of his granddaughter who was now cradled in Nightwing's arms as Starfire hovered over head with a star bolt in each hand..

"Am I really asking for that much? The child will never miss you, and you will be able to replace her, many times over."

"You monster!"

"It is a small price to pay for recovering Raven, it is worth considering …"

"IT'S NOT A SMALL PRICE! Coraline is priceless; she's more precious than anything to me!"

"Even more precious than Raven?"

Cyborg stepped forward and knelt next to Beast Boy, scanning Raven with his built in sensors, after which he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Don't listen to him man. And don't worry about Raven, she isn't hurt. She's just stunned from the energy blast."

Beast Boy pressed Raven's supine form tightly to his chest. He could feel her heart beating as he cradled her head in his hand. A heartbeat that would vanish in just a few short years. He knew what the right choice was and yet he felt the agony of the no-win scenario that faced him.

"I can give her back to you changeling, isn't that what you really want?"

Beast Boy felt hot tears drip down his face and choked back sobs that wanted to explode from his chest. The burden of having to make this choice was ripping apart the very fabric of his soul. It was an unacceptable demand, to choose between his mate and his first born and it was exposing to him his great weakness, his fear of being alone, of losing Raven just as he lost his parents, as he had lost Terra once.

Yet he loved Coraline too, more than his own life, and knew he couldn't sacrifice her either.

"Take me instead, you can have me."

"Beast Boy, no!" Nightwing shouted.

Trigon grinned again.

"I do not want you changeling, I want my granddaughter. Do not worry about her, I will treat her well. Now, do we have a deal?"

Before Beast Boy could reply he felt a tight grip on his wrist.

"There will be no deal father." Raven growled as she sat up, facing Trigon defiantly. "Did you really think we would give her to you? I know why you want her! You want to occupy her body and use her powers to return from the abode of the dead."

"Your human half makes you weak daughter. You should think more of yourself. Don't you want to spend your life with your green pet? Do you want him to watch you shrivel up and wither away? To have his final haunting memory of you be that of a decrepit, gnarled, old woman?"

"We will not trade our daughter for my ransom father. And I am proud to not be selfish like you are. You think you are powerful father, but you are not!"

Trigon did not acknowledge Raven's taunt. Instead he continued to grin.

"My offer remains dear daughter. If you change your mind … you know where to find me."

Trigon's ghostlike image faded away.

"Yeah, you'd better run!" Cyborg shouted while waving his clenched fist at the vanishing demon.

After Trigon had disappeared everyone gathered around the Logans. Nightwing was holding Coraline and he handed her back to Raven.

"I'm sorry Raven." Zatanna spoke up. "I'm sorry we gave you false hope."

Raven nodded and looked at her teammates. She could see in their eyes that they understood that it was over, that there was no more hope. Even Nightwing, who in an alternate future had once told Starfire "We've done the impossible before" could not hide the defeat that seeped from his masked face. He of course was no stranger to tragedy as had witnessed his parents fall to their deaths, but what was happening to them seemed to go beyond anything that was fair or just.

In a way the masked Titan was a contradiction. He was the only one without powers and yet he was the one who would never acknowledge being powerless. But being powerless was something he had once again begun to face and accept.

He and Starfire had found out the month before that they couldn't have a child. STAR Labs had first told them that they could conceive and it was true. But fate struck back and Starfire had miscarried three times in the past year. Upon further investigation and after studying the stillborn embryos the scientists discovered that they were deforming from early on and died as a result of the irreconcilable genetic differences between Human and Tamaranian genomes. They attempted to find a solution but came up empty handed. Nightwing had accepted the bad news stoically but his wife wept bitterly when they learned the unfortunate news.

Sometimes he wondered what the Fates had against him and his team.

"Let's go home." He announced flatly. "There's no reason to be here anymore."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Happy Birthday to yoooouuuuu!" The chorus concluded singing what was perhaps the best known song in the entire world and erupted into applause. The now one year old girl smiled and applauded as well as she sat in her high chair.

Virtually the entire Titans family had gathered to celebrate Coraline Logan's first birthday. Her parents proudly flanked her high chair as Cyborg began to cut the first piece from the giant cake he had made for the occasion and after dropping a huge scoop of ice cream onto her plate he presented it to her with a bow.

The young toddler, who had taken her first steps just a few weeks before, poked the cake with her finger and squealed in delight at its soft texture. She then mashed her hand into it and laughed even louder as she then used both her hands to demolish the sweet wedge of chocolate cake and vanilla frosting. Her spectators laughed joyfully as she crammed both of her tiny hands into her mouth, savoring the sweet treat.

Raven took her husband's hand and gave it a loving squeeze. At her request the Titans had not celebrated her official birthday. Even though it had been legally her 21st birthday they all understood and kept that day, which had been several months before, low key. She and Beast Boy had gone out together to quietly commemorate that day in private.

Raven knew that internally she was approaching 60 years of age. Once she had finished recording the lessons for Coraline she stopped dyeing her hair and it was now completely gray. Her exercise regimen had paid off as her fellow Titans swore by whatever was sacred and holy to them that she looked like she was still in her thirties. She knew that they weren't lying to her as every morning she stood naked in front of a mirror to assess her premature deterioration. There were signs that she was well into her fifties: her bosom wasn't what it used to be (not that her husband ever complained) and she noticed some flabbiness was beginning to appear in a few other places.

Another factor in her favor was that while she was aging her body itself was spared the natural wear and tear that 60 real years would have taken on her figure. She still had no issues with aches and pains and so far, thanks to some hormonal therapy that had been formulated for her, she had been able to fend off menopause and she continued to find comfort and pleasure in her lover's intimate embrace. She had never told Beast Boy, or 'Changeling' as he was now officially known, that she was afraid that he would no longer desire physical intimacy with her as she was now beginning to physically show signs of aging.

Her fear was unfounded of course, but she knew that at some point she would deteriorate to the point where she would no longer desire him that way. And while she knew that she would be unable to defer permanently the final day of reckoning she consoled herself with knowing that there were still many 'quality' days left for them.

Nightwing understood this and gave Changeling all of the time off he wanted. Raven had already been retired from active duty and hers and Gar's absence was backfilled by Flash (Wally had dropped the 'Kid' prefix) and Jinx.

The Logans had taken the time to do the many things they couldn't do as superheroes. They travelled around the world, occasionally leaving Coraline with 'Aunt Starfire', at least during the shorter trips. She had enjoyed their excursions to Europe the most, savoring the relaxed pace they were finally allowed to enjoy as they visited city after city on the continent and the British isles. They even had a pleasant surprise when in ENgland. The Monarch had invited them to a visit in Windsor Castle and in an unexpected ceremony she had Knighted (honorary, as they were not her subjects) them both for services done for the United Kingdom.

That had been quite a day as an official state luncheon had also been given in their honor. Gar later reminded her that this had never been done for a superhero before, not even for Superman or Batman.

But the truth was that Raven, while grateful for the recognition she received that day in England, was far more moved that everyone had showed up for Coraline's first birthday. Raven smiled as Coraline began to rub frosting all over her face, making happy sounds and noises as she did so.

Raven took her husband's hand and sighed contentedly. The past year had been a wonderful year.

If only there could be many more like it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As Raven had expected once she reached her eighties it became much trickier to cheat on Father Time. It became much harder to exercise, not that she stopped, but she did have to scale back. There was no doubt in her mind that she was now an old woman. As Coraline's second birthday approached Raven knew that it might be the last one she would be able to celebrate with her daughter. While she looked about 60 now she could no longer hide the wrinkles on her face and fatigue would set in much more quickly than even just a few months before. Internally she was almost 90 years old. She was still very active and her mind remained sharp but her body was finally beginning to give her trouble. First it was her gall bladder that had to come out as it suddenly filled with gall stones. Next it was her hips that needed replacing.

Raven knew that she would be almost 120 by Coraline's 3rd birthday, which meant that the upcoming year would be her last. One day while they were having lunch alone, while the others were away on a mission, she finally said it.

"Gar, it's time to talk about … and … make preparations ... for the end."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was a week after Coraline's third birthday. Coraline sat next to her mother who was resting quietly in her bed. Garfield sat in a chair next to the bed, holdin her hand while Nightwing, Starfire, Cyborg, Flash, Jinx and Bumblebee stood solemnly around the bed.

An electrocardiograph beeped softly in the background while Rave breathed laboriously through an oxygen mask. She had taken a turn for the worse the day before. It wasn't the first time it had happened and every time before she managed to bounce back. This time though they all somehow knew that this time it wouldn't be so.

Coraline snuggled up next to her mother and began to caress her exposed arm. Raven opened her eyes and softly called out for her husband.

"It's time." She whispered through her oxygen mask.

"I know." He whispered back. "I've been dreading this day for three years."

"I'll be fine Gar. You remember what I asked you to do?"

"Yes." He replied as he showed her the small golden box he brought with him. "I'll do it."

"Thank you." She paused to catch her breath as the electrocardiograph began to complain about her now irregular heartbeat.

"Raven! Take it easy. Just relax." Cyborg reprimanded her. "You're weak."

"I know Victor, it doesn't matter anymore." She replied before turning back to her husband.

"Gar, don't mourn me. Promise me you'll find someone else."

"Rae…"

"Find … a nice girl … and ... be happy with her."

Beast Boy wiped a tear away.

"If I find the right girl … I will." He lied to her.

"Please don't … forget to live Gar … do it … for me …"

Raven's head dropped and the electrocardiograph whined its warning that her heart had stopped. No attempt was made to revive her, as she had given Gar that instruction a year before at the lunch table. He sat still as he held her hand. No one else said anything. In a strange way they were relieved, it was over, the inevitable had finally happened.

Raven was dead.

Starfire was the first to speak.

"Farewell, dear friend. We shall meet again in the Halls of X'hal and Azar."

Garfield reached over and placed his hand on her forehead. Unseen by the others the skin around her chakra stone receded and he carefully collected the stone, placing it into the small golden box and closed it carefully, after which he leaned over and kissed her.

"Good bye Raven."

He then broke down and began to weep.

Before you start screaming at me, the story isn't over yet. Hang in there; you'll be glad you did.

And now, it's mail bag time!

**mrsivy100** - "what r they gonna do they cant give up there baby cant wait to find out"

_There was no way they would hand her over. Of course we know that for a split second BB might have considered it (but he never would have accepted)._

**Theunstable** - " This is a really good story.

...better have a happy ending though."

_I know it doesn't feel all that happy right now, but hang in there._

**TCNinja96** - "You're killing me with the cliffhangers! Raven just can't catch a break can she :/ Give up Coraline? No way will she do that!"

_I've been especially cruel to the Chromatically Challenged Couple™ in this story. Sometimes life just isn't fair._

**lpwriter4life** - "lp is the initals of my name, that's all. Also, I would curse Trigon, but he's already in hell so I guess that would be useless."

_Maybe he could spend eternity with Andreas and Hiromi?_

**xXCanaryXx** - ":O

He wants Coraline! NOOOO dont do it. Rae has lived... most of her life. Coralines has just begun. It is sad, but the right thing to do.

But i hope you will find a compromise or some kind of twist.

I anxiously await the next chapter"

_This scene was inspired by the movie "Sophie's Choice"(starring Meryl Streep). That movie had a sad ending._

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "Pathetic, absolutely ***** pathetic from Trigon, to offer a deal with Garfield trading Coraline, **** I think Garfield would rather swap roles with Raven than to swap Coraline with Trigon, goes to show how pathetic gramps is. Oh well hopefully the story ends well."

_Well, he is a demon after all. They make the worst grandparents, or so I have been told._

**Shyguy1** - "he is one sneaky evil little demon, I hate Trigon. Someone needs to kick his butt all over again. They shouldn't do it, I don't think Rae or BB would even consider giving away their daughter. I bet this is the part where Raven goes full demon and kicks trigons big red $$. I hope so, cause the curse will also go away then. great chapter, Keep Writing Space Cowboy."

_Sometimes life asks us to make difficult choices, and even when we make the right one it can still hurt._

**ComposerDragon** - "i admit, i didn't expect that turn of events. very clever!

now, the way i see it, this story can go two ways. one, BB accepts the deal, and it's season 4 all over again. two, they don't accept, Raven dies, and Coraline grows up to be a necromancer to bring Raven back! oooooh, that's so cool, i might use it myself, if you don't.

and then there's Hiromi to factor into the equation... i have no ideas regarding her.

very nice work so far! it's awesome!"

_An interesting idea. Like I said earlier, Coraline has a role to play. Stay tuned._

**RainingHearts4Ever** - ":O WHAT IS HE GOING TO DO!"

_You didn't think for a second that they would trade Coraline away?_

**St. Jack of randomness** - "So, you're saying you tricked me into reading this by labeling it wrong? Dude, that's low, and speeking of lows how could you even think of anything bad happening to Coraline? I mean, I know it's Trigon we're dealing with here, but you just don't kill babies."

_Have no fear, Coraline is safe. And to be honest, even though Raven died, I don't think of the story as a tragedy. Good things have and will still happen._

**GreenRock** - "Ooooh, a life-for-life scenario. So evil, so sick . . . so tantalizingly succulent; I just love how your demonic mind works.

One can only imagine the decision that the team are going to make. I can't see any loopholes or shortcuts out of this predicament. I think the time is finally up; then again . . ."

_You were right; there was no way to save Raven. But not all is lost..._

**Author Penholder** - "Only if your stories Beastboy is as big a dumbass dip-shit as the series made him out to be, will he accept that deal. Their daughter is the only thing in creation, that Raven AND Beastboy would willingly let their mate die for. I agree with almostinsanes' comment to your last chapter. I say it's time for some torture."

_Raven would never allow Andreas to be tortured. That's what her father would do._

**LoveBassClarinet** - "The unknown is driving me BANANAS! And I'm ALLERGIC to BANANAS!"

_Now I know why they don't serve bananas on airplanes! _

FelynxTiger- "Gah!～. An other chapter 0.0

i was starting to think in a deal as mean as the one mention in the story but i really didn't thought tht you were actually gonna do that .Noe Gar is in a big dilema not only he would loose in the deal what ever he choose buut also he have to fight to find two choose or at least think in his two loves a wife-lore or daughter-love

Ialso like the representation of the bound between Nightwing and Raven though it ismention in manny FF's i think ur style was nice , besides there is a similar mention in that in an issue of Teen Titans Go!"

_I think that a lot people misunderstand Raven and Robin's relationship. They are of course very close (they love each other) and I think a lot of people can't imagine a man and a women being that close to each other without being siblings or being in romantic relationship. But it does happen._

**The One They Call Shamis** - "Damn it all to Trigon... Eventually I'm going to quit reading your chapters as soon as they come out... The wait for the next chapter always sucks and since its a cliff hanger its going to suck even more... Amazing chapter as is usual from you"

_Just for you I got this one out fast. I was going to work on the next chapter for Reimagined, but I think I'll finish the Gift first._

**The Cretan** - "OH MAN, Trigon wants his grandkid. That's gonna be a helluva custody battle. This chapter rocked. Once again, you manipulate hope and despair. I like that. Shows creativity. Can't wait to read more. On another note, yeah I have to agree with your analysis on YJ. BUT HEY, Titans are once again ahead of Avatar? If this keeps up there'll be a World Fan War between the fandoms. LOL. Dude as always your writing leaves me wanting more. Keep rockin. "

_At this point it would seem that despair has won. But not all is lost._


	31. Healing

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The darkness in the apartment was invaded by dim light from the hallway as the mechanical door slid open. The night was moonless and the darkness was occasionally pierced by distant lightning as it was pouring a cold, hard rain outside. The silence in the small living room was broken by the sound of distant thunder that trailed the lightning by several seconds.

Garfield entered his apartment while Coraline slept in his arms. It had been a long day for both of them and he felt drained as he laid her down in her bed, pulling off her shoes and tossing them aside. The young girl rolled over and tightly grabbed and clutched a plush green hippopotamus. She fussed for a moment before falling back asleep.

The day had begun slowly that dreary rainy morning. Because of the weather last minute changes had to be made for the funeral, to move it indoors. Cyborg and Starfire had spent the morning clearing out and cleaning the hangar deck in the tower before setting it up with hundreds of folding chair (which Wally volunteered to set up).

Garfield was touched by the number of friends and dignitaries that showed up: Titans East, Honorary Titans, key members of the Justice League including Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. There had also been local law enforcement brass and city politicians.

He had chosen to keep the casket closed and instead displayed a portrait of Raven taken on her 18th birthday. He wanted everyone to remember her when she was young and strong, the way she looked when he fell in love with her.

The funeral was long and there were many speakers, the first being the Secretary General of the United Nations who had many kind and grateful words he shared in Raven's memory.

Other speakers said their bit: The Vice President of the United States, the Governor, both state Senators. After the politicians were done several super heroes stepped forward. Batman's speech alone was 15 minutes long.

Nightwing spoke last and gave the eulogy. He recounted the day he first met Raven on the streets of Jump City and how she had grown from the shy and somewhat self loathing girl she had been that day into a brave and selfless hero. He then shared how close he had been to her and how she became his surrogate sister. His speech was also long and it concluded with these words:

"To many people Raven seemed unsocial and introverted, but the truth is she was the heart of our team. She always knew how we felt and she always knew when and how to support us. She loves us and we love her, it will always be that way. You're irreplaceable Raven; there will always be a hole, a wound on our team in your absence. And I promise to never rest until I bring your murderer to justice. You can run and hide Hiromi Ayase, but I will find you, and that's a promise."

The changeling walked back to the tomb like living room in his apartment. He knew that the Graysons, Cyborg, Wally and Jinx were in the common room, still recovering from the day's emotional events. After the long funeral concluded Raven was to be buried in a new section in the city's main cemetery that was dedicated to its more illustrious 'residents'.

A large tent had been set up in front of the entrance to the small mausoleum that had been donated by one of Jump City's wealthy families to the Titans the day after Raven's death was publicly announced. The mourners emerged from their limousines and scurried to the protection the tarp offered from the elements as Nightwing, Starfire, Cyborg and Wally carried Raven's coffin towards the mausoleum. Beast Boy followed them, carrying Coraline in one arm and an umbrella in his free hand. Even though the four pall bearers were getting drenched they refused to hurry and carried the coffin at a respectful and dignified pace.

"I wouldn't inter Raven in there." A familiar monotone voice called out from the drizzling of the rain.

The four surviving Titans turned and frowned at the sight that greeted them.

"No one invited you Slade. You aren't welcome here." Nightwing growled. Starfire's eyes glowed a menacing green.

"Relax Titans; I have only come to pay my respects to a formidable adversary. But I am very serious about my warning. If you bury Raven here her body will be stolen by the remaining followers of Trigon's cult."

"I don't think so." Cyborg snarled in reply. "I've installed the best surveillance tech …"

"Which is ineffective against as skilled sorcerer."

Garfield locked eyes with the villain's single eye, which peered through his cold and steely mask.

"You're serious. But why do you care?" The changeling asked.

"Have you forgotten that I once worked for Trigon? Raven might be dead, but a great deal of magic remains in her body."

"Mark my words, they will steal her body if you bury her here and they will use it as a weapon against you. As to why I am telling you this … I do not want any competition."

"You're a regular hero Slade." Cyborg spat.

"I will take that as a thank you. Of course you have two choices."

"Which are?" Nightwing asked crossly.

"You could inter her in the Tower. Her body could still be stolen, but it will be more difficult."

"What's the other choice?" Garfield asked.

Slade crossed his arms, oblivious to the rain that was dripping off his mask and armor.

"You destroy her body by cremation…"

"Raven instructed us to not do that." Starfire interrupted.

"Did she tell you why?"

Beast Boy nodded.

"She said that I would be able to tap into her powers as long as her body was intact. She said that I should use those powers to protect Coraline."

"Once a Ministra Magi, always a Ministra Magi." Slade added.

Nightwing nodded.

"I understand. We'll take her back to the Tower until we decide what to do."

Slade turned and began to walk away.

"Until next time Titans. And be prepared. I won't go easy on you just because Raven is gone."

The Titans did return with Raven's coffin to the Tower and they locked it into the safe room that had originally been built to protect her from her father. As the memories of the day faded into the background the changeling began to undress, removing his coat and undoing his tie before unbuttoning his dress shirt. He hated formal wear and only wore it when absolutely necessary. The last time he wore that suit was when Terra was buried. He hoped he would never have to wear it again.

As he undressed he paused and sighed. There was nothing he could have done to prepare himself for the situation he was facing.

He was alone. She was gone and while he had done a fine job if hiding it he was in pain and wondered if it would ever go away. Every night he would wake up in a sweat and would panic, looking for Raven until he recalled that she was gone and would never come back. The bed felt huge, cold and empty without her at his side.

He knew he was going to have to cope with the reality that faced him. He was now a single father and had the awe inspiring responsibility of raising Coraline. Before Raven died he thought he could do it, but now he wasn't so sure.

A soft knock was heard at the apartment's front door. He quickly dressed in his Doom Patrol costume and answered the door.

Starfire was there. She wrapped his arms around him and he reciprocated.

"Come dear friend. Let Coraline sleep while you spend some time with us. You should not be alone at a time like this."

He nodded and kissed the princess on the cheek.

"Thanks Star."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Two years later …._

"I don't need help getting dressed dad, I'm five years old! I know what to wear!"

Garfield grinned as Coraline selected the outfit she would on her first day of school. Due to her precociousness the principal at the school decided the place the young girl directly in second grade, bypassing kindergarten and first grade. To say that Garfield was proud of his little princess was an understatement.

"Get out dad! I'm gonna get dressed now!"

"What about your aunt Starfire?"

"Duh! She's a girl!"

"I used to change your diapers, I don't see why …"

"I'm not a baby dad!"

Garfield smiled before throwing his hands up in mock defeat as he exited the young girl's room, leaving Starfire and Coraline behind. The diminutive girl ran up and slapped the 'close' button, shutting the door behind him.

He was grateful for Starfire's never ending help, especially when it came to purchasing clothes for the Teeny Titan. At first it was easy, Coraline would wear stuff Raven had chosen for her, but now she was adamant that she wouldn't wear "baby clothes" anymore and went on many shopping trips with the Tamaranian to the ubiquitous shopping mall.

He made his way to the common room, where the other 4 Titans were having breakfast. Jinx and Wally had joined the team permanently and had tied the knot themselves.

"Ready for the big day Gar?" Jinx asked.

"I guess, I just wish Raven was here to see her. She seems so grown up, and she's only five."

"So when are you going to have her start with Raven's lessons?" Cyborg asked.

Changeling poured himself a glass of almond milk and joined them at the table.

"Not yet. Raven said she should start at eight, but that seven would be OK if her powers start giving her trouble before."

"It's funny how she looks so much like her mother, but she's different in so many other ways." Jinx added. "Look at her taste in clothes." Coraline was wearing a pair of jeans and a pink t-shirt with the Titans logo on it.

"Were you expecting her to wear a cape and a leotard?" Gar asked.

"It's all that's missing." Cyborg added. "Say, how did your date with Power Girl go yesterday? It was your second date, right."

"It was OK."

"What do you mean 'OK'? The girl's a knock out!" Wally added his two bits just before Jinx elbowed him in the ribs. "What was that for?"

"Don't act dumb Wally; I know why you like her. I'm sorry if my chest is too small for your taste…"

"Aw c'mon Jinx, you know I only have eyes for you."

"Yeah, right." She continued tormenting her mate before turning her focus back on Changeling. "So what happened Gar, don't you like her or do Kryptonians intimidate you?"

He shook his head.

"I dunno, she was really nice and she does have a great rack, but … it didn't seem right."

"What's a rack?" A small voice piped up from behind him.

_Oh crap!_

Garfield gave the others a dirty look that said 'why didn't you tell me she was there?' He turned around and grinned nervously at his daughter.

"Uh … well … it's hard to explain."

"Relax dad, I'll ask Aunt Starfire later."

He rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled nervously.

"I guess it's time to go to school, are you ready Coraline?"

The Teeny Titan smiled and nodded.

"I'm ready dad."

Garfield stood up and took her hand.

"OK guys, we're off!"

Everyone waved at Coraline and wished her a happy first day of school. They could see the excitement in her eyes as she exited the common room with her father. As soon as the doors slid shut Cyborg spoke up.

"She got her mom's brains alright! I mean Raven had to be just like that when she was a kid."

"Except for the jeans and T-shirt you're probably right." Nightwing added. "I hope that the other kids don't tease her about looking … different."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Garfield and Coraline climbed into the non-descript domestic sedan that the Titans had for when they didn't want to draw attention to themselves. As Garfield guided it out of the garage and into the access tunnel that connected Titans Island with the mainland, Coraline placed her hand on his arm.

"Dad, what happened to mom? Why did she die?"

The changeling froze at the question. He knew that this day was going to come; he had just hoped that it wouldn't arrive for a few more years.

"Coraline, what do you remember about mom?"

"I remember that she was really old. But I've seen pictures of her where she was young. Did she die because she was old?"

He nodded.

"Yes sweetie, that's exactly what happened to her."

Coraline looked troubled and paused before continuing.

"Why was she so old dad?"

He looked nervously at his wonderful daughter. How could he tell her about the curse, and that the curse caster, Hiromi Ayase, was still at large? There was no doubt that she was wise and precocious beyond her years, but he couldn't tell her the full truth, she wouldn't be able to handle it, not yet.

"Mom got sick and she got old really fast."

Her eyes grew wide at the partially false revelation,

"Didn't you take her to the doctor?"

"We did sweetie. The doctors tried their best, but mom didn't get well …"

"Will you get sick dad? Will you also get old real fast?"

"I don't think so sweetie. And neither will you. It was just something really strange that happened to mom."

"Dad … do you miss mom?"

"I always miss her, every day."

"So you aren't going to marry Power Girl?"

He smiled and shook his head.

"Even though she's really nice?" She paused and grinned. "And has a great rack?"

He guffawed.

"Don't say that, you don't even know what that means."

"I do dad, it means she has big boobies."

He let out a mock gasp.

"You're too young to know that!"

They both laughed as he pulled into the school's parking lot and guided the car into a parking spot.

"You're right Coraline, Power Girl is really nice, but right now we're just friends. For now you're the only girl in my life."

Coraline smiled at him.

"Come on kiddo; let's go meet your teacher."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I'm going to skip the mailbag today, mostly because you all asked the same question: How can there be a happy ending if Raven is dead?

Alas, I cannot answer that right now. Please stay tuned. I do promise one thing: there will be justice before the end.


	32. Lessons

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Three years later _

Coraline was seated at the dining table in the common room and she was deep in concentration. It was early Saturday morning and the still pajama clad girl reached for a book and opened it the bookmarked page, which is where her math homework assignment, several algebra exercises was located.

She had continued to advance quickly in her studies and was now in 8th grade. She had transferred to a special academy for gifted children, which came about because she had issues with the public school where she had first started. Her classmates had teased her incessantly about her purple hair, gray complexion and the fact that she was a kindergarten aged child in a second grade classroom. It also didn't help that she was the best student in the class and quickly became the teacher's pet.

It was only a few months into the school year when Coraline began to tell her father that she "didn't feel well" and asked to be excused from school. The Titans had been kids once themselves and quickly saw through her ruse and promptly got to the heart of the matter. That was when Nightwing placed a personal call to the headmaster of the local and prestigious Dawson Academy, Dr. Roger Bartlett.

Dr. Bartlett made an appointment for Garfield and Coraline to come in for an interview. Coraline met with several educators and the school psychologist who had her take an IQ test. The process took most of the day and the changeling was progressively feeling more and more annoyed as the day progressed. He thought that it was a grueling gauntlet for a 5 year old to endure.

After the final interview, conducted by the heads of the math and sciences departments, they were lead back to the waiting room in front of Dr. Bartlett's office, where they waited for almost a whole hour. The receptionist was attentive to them, offering them refreshments on more than one occasion.

Garfield didn't like the overall stuffiness in the waiting room, or in the whole school for that matter, which contrasted sharply with the modern look of the Tower's interior. Most of the students at the school came from privileged backgrounds, and the changeling couldn't help but wonder if the size of one's pocketbook would make the interview process shorter. There was a bookcase in the waiting room and Coraline found a copy of Huckleberry Finn which she began to read. Upon seeing this Garfield chuckled silently.

_Is she her mom's daughter or what? Raven always had her nose in a …_

His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of a door opening, revealing Dr. Bartlett's figure.

"I apologize for making you wait so long. Please do come in."

Coraline moved back to the bookcase, to restore the book to its place on the shelf.

"You may keep that book Coraline." The headmaster told her. "You should definitely read it in its entirety."

Dr. Bartlett guided them into his office and offered them a seat in front of his desk. His wood paneled office had a very elegant and scholarly feel to it. One of the walls was covered with framed diplomas from Yale, Princeton, Harvard and Oxford Universities. Another wall was graced with pictures of Dr. Bartlett and many important people: Harry Kissinger, former and current Presidents and Prime Ministers from many countries, among others.

After they sat down Dr. Bartlett took his place behind his desk. He adjusted his glasses and smiled at the two Logans.

"You must be very proud of your daughter Mr. Logan, she is a remarkable child."

"I am, from the day she was born I knew she was going to do great things."

"Of that you are correct Mr. Logan. Coraline is perhaps the most gift child we have ever seen. The school psychologist was having trouble grading the IQ test because it was off the scale. We were debating whether to give her another test, one for older children and we might do that later."

"Later? You mean you want to test her even more before accepting her." Garfield asked.

Dr. Bartlett smiled again.

"Please forgive me. Of course she is accepted, we just want to know in which grade to place her."

He turned to the young girl, who was mesmerized by her surroundings.

"Tell me Miss Logan; was second grade hard at the public school?"

Coraline shook her head.

"No sir, it was very easy, and kind of boring."

"Well, I think you'll find our second grade to be more to your liking. Of course if it's too easy we'll move you up until we find the right level for you. You can start tomorrow, if that is OK with your father of course."

Garfield was caught off guard.

"Uh, yeah, sure. That is if Coraline would like to start. What do you say kiddo?"

Coraline became taciturn before replying.

"Will the kids here make fun of how I look?" She asked.

"Absolutely not. We have several students here who are meta-humans and they are never mocked for the way they look. It is not tolerated and we have dismissed students who fail to abide by Standards of Conduct Code."

She smiled and nodded her head.

"Ok. I'd like to come here." She piped up, feeling a little shy at being put on the spot.

"Excellent! There is some paperwork for you to complete Mr. Logan, you can bring that back tomorrow. I also want to mention that we have boarding facilities, for when your duties might keep you from collecting Coraline at the end of the school day. My receptionist is already preparing the paperwork for you."

Garfield smiled at his daughter.

"So are you excited?"

She grinned and nodded back at him.

"Nightwing said he would take care of the financial matters…"

Bartlett waved his hand in a dismissive yet friendly gesture.

"That won't be necessary. Coraline has been awarded a full scholarship." He replied as he stood up and shook the young girl's hand. "Welcome to Dawson Academy Coraline."

Back in the present Coraline plowed through her math homework and after completing it and checking her answers she shut the book. All that she had left for the weekend was to read a couple of books and to write some essays about them.

Coraline quickly moved up from second to eighth grade level in just three years. Eighth grade was proving to be a challenge to the 8 year old and for the first time she would not be moving onto the next grade before the academic year was complete.

She walked over to the circular couch and sat down in front of the giant TV, which she turned on. As the screen came to life she switched it to a local news channel where, as expected, there was live coverage of the Titans engaging a local villain. It was fun to watch her father either use his animal forms or his Ministra Magi powers to, as Uncle Cyborg would say, 'kick bad guy butt'.

She had tuned in too late, as the action was over and the reporter gave a summary of how the mission had gone.

"… _we are still unable to confirm this report, but multiple sources on the ground are saying that Changeling was injured during this altercation with Slade. Witnesses are saying that Changeling was hit by a direct laser blast from one of Slade's robots and was whisked away from the scene by Starfire…"_

Coraline felt her windpipe close as the panic began to set in.

"No. Not Dad." She whimpered as she reached for her special communicator. Before she could call anyone Nightwing called in.

"Coraline, get the infirmary ready like we showed you … your dad is hurt."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Coraline shut her communicator and ran as fast as she could to the Tower infirmary, running up three flights of stairs rather than wait for the elevator. She entered the medical facility, still panting as she ran up to her father's dedicated med station. She turned on the monitors, prepared a saline solution IV, and got a trauma kit from the storage cabinet. After she completed that she ran to the window and opened it, just in time as Starfire was approaching, flying as she carried Garfield bridal style.

The princess flew into the infirmary and deposited Changeling's unconscious body onto the bed. Coraline watched as Starfire cut her father's uniform shirt off and gasped when she saw the gruesome wound in his side. She could smell the charred flesh that surrounded the wound, which wasn't bleeding as the laser blast cauterized the damage it caused. She clenched her teeth as the smell of burnt flesh induced a gag reflex in her, and was able to not vomit.

Starfire worked methodically, first connecting the IV to Garfield's arm and then the electrocardiograph. She then wheeled over a portable CAT scan machine and did a quick scan of the area where he was wounded. It took the system a couple of minutes to perform the scan, which completed as the remainder of the team arrived. Jinx, now the team's official medic, took a quick look at the results.

"Is dad gonna be OK?" Coraline asked with a voice that warbled with trepidation.

"None of his organs got hit. His guts are a mess though, we're gonna need a real surgeon to repair them." Jinx replied.

"Doctor Cabrera is on his way, he's already in the helicopter." Nightwing informed the team. "He should be here in a few minutes."

Jinx and Cyborg began to prepare the operating room so that it would be ready as soon as Dr. Cabrera arrived. Changeling was in stable condition and Starfire kept a close eye on him and his vitals while comforting Coraline, reassuring her that her father would be making a full recovery. The young girl did her best to put on a brave face, but she was unable to shut down the water works.

The surgeon arrived on schedule and after a few hours in the operating room had repaired the damage Slade's laser had inflicted on Changeling's intestines. Coraline paced nervously outside the operating room, until she went and sat on Starfire's lap.

The princess soothed the young girl, running her fingers through Coraline's shoulder length violet hair, reassuring her that her father would be fine. Coraline sobbed quietly while Starfire continued caressing her. The Tamaranian looked upon the 8 year old's insecure and unsure face and had a sense of déjà vu.

"Coraline, come with me, I would like to show you something."

Coraline nodded and taking her "aunt's" hand she was led away from the infirmary until they reached Starfire's room, which they entered. The Tamaranian stepped up to a computer console at her desk and began to type.

"Coraline, please look at the large screen on the wall."

A large flat panel screen on the wall came to life and displayed a scene that looked like it was from a horror story. The entire city was in ruins and the sky glowed a fiery hellish red. The next thing she saw were much younger looking versions of her aunt Starfire and her father (who still had yet to show a receding hairline).

"This video was taken by your uncle Cyborg when we fought Trigon the Terrible."

The next scene caught Coraline's full attention, as Robin, who she knew was her uncle Nightwing's former hero identity, was standing next to a small girl wearing a white cape and leotard.

"Is that my mom? She … looks just like me. Why is she a little girl? Wasn't she as old you aunt Starfire?"

"Trigon did some magic to turn your mother into a little girl. He believed that if Raven was in such a form that she would be harmless." She smiled. "He could not have been more wrong."

Coraline watched the scene unfold before her. Towards the end Robin knelt down next to her mother.

"_This is your story Raven …"_

Coraline turned away and began to cry.

"What is wrong Coraline? Why are you crying?"

The young girl regained her composure.

"My mom was very brave. I'm just a cry baby."

Starfire picked the girl up and hugged her.

"You forget that your mother was an experienced hero by this time. Allow me to show you something else."

"You have more videos?"

Starfire smiled as she replied.

"Your uncle Cyborg always saves what he calls "the keepers". It is most fortunate that his computer memory is most ample and can record many weeks worth of video. Now this video is from the day we all first met."

Coraline watched the video with great interest.

"That's dad? He was such a geek!"

Starfire laughed.

"Yes, Coraline, he was quite a geek, but he was very sweet and kind from the beginning. After my beloved husband your father is my dearest friend."

Coraline next saw a very brash and outspoken Starfire.

"Was that really you aunt Starfire? You look so scary."

"I was a different person back then. It is thanks to your parents and Nightwing and Cyborg that I was able to become who I am today, and for that I will always be grateful

Raven made her appearance next. It was the scene in the alley where they were trying to find Starfire's trail.

"_I can sense things."_ Raven said nervously on the video while her eyes betrayed her own lack of self esteem.

"Mom almost sounds scared."

"I think she was Coraline. But she rose to the occasion and helped us defeat the Gordanians."

The screen changed to the scene where Raven was helping an injured Beast Boy to his feat while facing down an enraged Trogarr.

"Wow, so mom became brave fast!"

Starfire smiled and caressed her 'niece', running her fingers through her violet hair.

"Being brave does not mean that we do not experience fear Coraline. Everyone experiences fear. The brave overcome their fear. Do not concern yourself with this matter for now; for I harbor no doubts that you will be a great warrior when you grow up, just like your parents and especially like your mother."

Starfire's communicator chirped. She opened it and saw Nightwing's face.

"They're done Starfire. Changeling is doing fine and he woke up. He wants to see Coraline."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Coraline and Starfire burst into the infirmary. The small girl saw her father, who was sitting up in his reclining bed. He smiled at her and winked.

"Oh daddy! You're OK!" She wailed as she ran up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"It'll take more than a nasty old Slade-bot to do me in." He replied softly. "Are you alright sweetie?"

"I was so scared dad; I thought you were going to die."

"Don't worry kiddo, that was just a lucky shot they got, it won't happen again."

"You won't leave me, right dad? Please tell me you'll never me leave me."

"Of course not. Why would I do that?"

Dr. Cabrera had changed out of his scrubs back into his business suit.

"Don't worry Coraline. Your father has an uncanny ability to heal quickly. Just don't let him morph into anything until I give him the green light. And make sure he takes his medicine, we don't want him to get an infection." The doctor informed her.

"I want you to stay in the infirmary tonight Beast … I mean Changeling. If there is no abnormal temperature I'll probably discharge you in the morning. I'll be leaving for now, but I will be back in the morning. Good night everyone."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Four weeks had passed since Garfield had been discharged from the infirmary and Dr. Cabrera had pronounced him fit to return to duty. As he and Coraline were returning to their apartment, he looked at his daughter with an inquiring eye.

"What is it dad? Why are you looking at me like that?"

The green Titan smiled.

"I think you're ready."

"Ready, ready for what?" She asked.

"Let me show you."

Upon entering their apartment he began to type at his terminal.

"Are you going to show me more family videos dad?"

"Not exactly." He replied as he finished typing. The video screen on the wall came to life. All it displayed was 'LESSON #1' in big bold letters.

Coraline stared puzzled at the screen.

"Is this extra work they sent from school?"

"No Coraline, it's not from school."

"Then what is it?"

Garfield paused.

"I think I'll let mom explain." He said as hit the play button on the console.

Raven's image replaced the first screen. She was seated on the same couch Coraline and her father were sitting on.

"_Hello Coraline. I suppose you know who I am, your mother. I am sorry that I'm not with you today my precious daughter. Because I died I won't be able to experience the joy of seeing you grow up, in fact there are many things I won't be able to do. But there is one thing I can do."_

"_I can teach you how to harness, control and use your powers. By now you have probably begun to experience them, to feel them even if they don't show up outside your body."_

"_These powers make you and I different from most people. Our powers are connected to our emotions. Because you are ¾ human, and not half human like me this won't affect you as much as it affected me. Nevertheless you will need to learn to control your emotions in order to control your powers."_

"_Your powers are a gift Coraline, a gift that you will be able to use for doing good. Whether or not you decide to become a super hero is your decision, but regardless of that choice you will need to learn how to control your powers."_

"_It will take years of training to master your powers Coraline. It will be a time where hopefully you will get to know me better. Unfortunately I can only imagine the wonderful young lady you are now."_

"_This lesson is a short one. In fact it isn't really a lesson; it's more of an introduction. But before continuing on to the lesson #2, your father has a gift for you. It's something that once belonged to me. The lesson will pause while your father gives you the gift. Gar, go ahead."_

The video playback paused as Raven had foretold. Garfield opened a desk drawer and extracted a small golden box from it. He knelt before his daughter and opened the box. Raven's old chakra stone glowed brightly as it floated out of the golden box, floating like a feather in a light breeze. Coraline was mesmerized as she watched it approach her forehead, where it sank into her skin as if it were made of soft clay. Coraline gasped and shuddered as the skin on her forehead wrapped itself around the stone, holding it safely in place.

"Are you alright kiddo?" Her father asked.

"Yeah … I'm … OK." She replied breathlessly.

Garfield hit the play button and the video resumed playing.

Raven pointed to the Chakra stone on her own forehead.

"_The Chakra stone you are wearing now is this very same one I wore when I recorded this lesson. Its purpose is more than decorative. It's a tool you will use to assist you in controlling your powers via meditation. You will learn how to use it in the coming months."_

"_That's all for lesson #1. I'll see you in lesson #2. And before I go, Coraline, and Gar, I love you both more than words can express."_

Raven's image disappeared and was replaced by the words 'END OF LESSON #1'.

Coraline sat silently for a while, staring at the screen while gently touching the chakra stone that was now embedded in her forehead.

"So Coraline, what did you think of mom?"

"I feel kind of sad. But mom does seem pretty amazing. Did she always talk in that deep monotone voice?"

"Most of the time, not always though. Not when she got angry … or very happy."

"You loved mom a lot, right dad? That's why you and Power Girl are just friends."

Garfield smiled.

"Power Girl is a special friend. Before your mother died she asked me to promise her that I would go out and find someone else …"

"You should dad. I might only be a kid, but I can tell that Power Girl REALLY likes you."

"Playing match maker, are you?" He laughed.

"I'm serious dad."

"I know, I know. I'm just not ready yet."

"What are you so afraid of dad?"

Garfield was surprised by his daughter's insight. Was she already an empath?

"I'm afraid that I'll compare Power Girl or whoever I date with your mom. And that's not a fair comparison. And that's because your mother is greatest person I ever met."

He sighed.

"Be patient with me Coraline. The time will come…"

She grinned at her father.

"Well I hope it comes before you lose all your hair!" She said as she ran her fingers through his visibly receding hairline. "I'm not sure that Power Girl likes baldies."

More "Coraliness". I hope you don't find his to be boring.

And now it's mailbag time!

**xXCanaryXx** - "Zomg shes officially dead now. :(

:o it would be awesome if the teacher is some kind of ... reincarnation of Rae. OR can be Hiromi and they DESTROY her. Either way or another im so excited.

Its very sad that this story is ending. I hope yu will write some more tho!"

_For all you Hiromi fans out there, our favorite villainess still has a role to play._

_LoveBassClarinet_ -"I'm very sad. But, I'm excited about Coraline! She seems funny."

_She gets the funny part from dad!_

_Shyguy1_ - "yay justice. I could go for some of that, too bad I have to wait for it though. I really like his kid, she is just the cuteset little tyke ever. Kinda talks like a teenager though, she's really smart. Definitely like her mom. Nice Chapter. it kinda touched on the doom and gloom side of things but it lightened up."

_We had a brush with doom and gloom this chapter. I can only imagine how afraid Coraline is of losing her father._

**lpwriter4life** - "Love the funny father-daughter moments :D"

_There will be more. She is a smarty pants._

**Ben A** - "I still love your story, even though Raven is dead now. I love how you keep bringing in other characters from the DC universe. I have a question about the end of chapter 30. Did Beastboy take Raven's gemstone so that he could give it to Coraline for when she begins her training? I can't wait to find out how the story ends."

_A Gold Star to you for guessing correctly!_

**wolfenstien** - "Tearjerkers much..? Great chapters as always dude, and the whole Power Girl convo's, hilarious."

_I still don't know if Power Girl and Gar are going to become a couple or not._

**FelynxTiger** - "Powergirl LOL

i like how gar is going great with Raven's absence , Coraline its so awesome! . the explication bout raven's dead to her was nice!.

im gonna have to keep reading like this doesnt sound to bad , see ya next ch."

_I watched "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies" the other day (Starfire has a cameo in that flick. She tries to go one on one with Superman ... and loses). Power Girl is a major character in that movie. For some reason, I could see her and BB hitting it off._

**Alexpv22** - "Now here's where things get really interesting. If there still is power inside of Raven's body, I can guess that we haven't seen the last of our favorite empathic titan.

Once again, another great chapter. I can hardly wait to see what happens next"

_We will see Raven again, but not in the way most of you are thinking._

**GreenRock** - "Wherever Hiromi might be, I get the feeling from this chapter that she should be looking over her shoulder constantly; I don't think that she's going to get away from all of this unscathed. "

_Hiromi is safely hidden ... for now._

**AllYourWafflesBelongToMe** - "Aww...no mailbag today. :( Anyways...

The writing's as good as ever. LOL The conversation between Wally Jinx and Beast Boy and Coraline sneaking up on them was hilarious :D

Oh no. I've got a bad feeling about Coraline going to school. For some reason I think it's a trap. Could the teacher be Hiromi in disguise or one of Trigon's minions? I'm getting really paranoid."

_It would behoove the Titans to be careful. _

**TCNinja96** - "I'm desperately hoping for Raven to somehow magically come back to life :/ She never got to see Coraline start school :("

_That would be too easy, don't you think?_

**The Cretan -** "Great update. Loved the interaction with Slade. You've always done his character justice. Kudos. Well Gar is a single parent now. I wish him luck. Its not easy. As for whether or not this'll have a happy ending, just go with what you got planned. Its your story and we trust you. BTW, I've wanted to ask you a question and that question is that silver is often employed as a weapon against demons, werewolves, etc. and I was wondering what do you think would happen if Raven was attacked by a silver weapon? No one has ever given a clear answer."

_That's a good question. I really don't know the answer. Maybe because she's half human she's immune to the magical aspect of a silver bullet?_

**almostinsane** - "Great chapter! Still said Raven died in this... Thanks for writing this. God bless!"

_Thanks, I will try to make it worth your while._

**The Fat Lantern** - "Greetings,

I just Wanted to say that I enjoy your writing and that I am glad that you decided to continue writing, the first story of your I read was Tough Times in Jump city, I enjoy the way you write, it makes the world seem more believable, With politics and money and problems, it makes a more dramatic story, and to avoid being cliché I will not ask any questions about your planned happy ending and let you get back to writing it, keep up the excellent work."

_Thanks for your kind words._

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "Argh! Hopefully Gar kills Hiromi and resurrect Raven back, a life for a life, but if Gar told Coraline the truth, I think she'll be on a personal vendetta against every single follower of her grandfather, Trigon and send em back to hell where they deserve."

_I would hope that Coraline not be the vengeful type. Regarding Hiromi's final outcome ... stay tuned. _

**titanfan45** - "There they are! Power Girl! I got a good laugh thinking about Beast Boy and Power Girl, I can't imagine her becoming Beast Boy's second wife. Great job with Coraline, I'll bet she is fun to write. Slade actually was helpful, never thought I'd see the day."

_Well, BB does have a soft spot for blonds. And if they're busty and well stacked … could you hold it against him?_

**St. Jack of randomness** - "I hope by "Justice" you mean that Raven is miraculously resurrected somehow."

_Hoo-boy. Are you guys going to demand an alternate ending?_


	33. Heritage

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Two years later…_

Coraline stared at the screen, which now displayed "End of lesson #943".

The ten year old sighed as she prepared to perform the lesson's exercise, which involved using her dark energy to thread a needle. The young girl focused on the needle resting on the table which began to levitate as it was delicately engulfed in a sleeve of dark energy. She then stared at the spool of thread and began to focus on it. The spool levitated and spun slowly as the thread unwound itself.

Sweat was beginning to form on her forehead as she guided the white thread to the eye of the needle. She clenched her teeth as the thread missed the eye and veered off.

_You can do this Coraline_. She reminded herself as she tried again, and failed.

She tried three more times, failing each time to thread the needle, which began to wobble as her concentration finally wavered. She exhaled in failure as the spool of thread and the needle fell to the table top.

She frowned before slamming her fist down on the table.

"Mom makes it look so easy! Why am I not as good as her? It's because I suck! I suck, I suck, I suck, I SUCK!"

Coraline felt her father's reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"You don't suck Coraline. It's the first time you're trying this."

"I'll bet mom got it right the first time she tried it!"

Garfield kissed his daughter on the crown of her head.

"We don't know that. But I'll tell you one thing; I've seen stuff backfire on Mom. She's made her own share of mistakes."

"Yeah, right!"

"I'm not kidding you Coraline."

The girl looked at her father skeptically.

"Ok, then tell me when mom screwed up. And nothing dumb like she over brewed her tea or the pancake story."

Changeling chuckled.

"Well, it is true that mom was a terrible cook."

He looked at her, rubbing his now balding scalp.

"OK, I'm going to share something very personal about mom. Outside of the original Titans no one knows about this …"

Coraline perked up, her eyes were saying 'what are you waiting for?'

"When your mom was 15 … she didn't have a lot of self esteem. She thought she was ugly and unlovable."

"No way, mom's gorgeous! In fact she's more than gorgeous, she's …"

Garfield raised his hand to silence her. She piped down and became quiet.

"I know she's beautiful, but back then she didn't believe that. A lot of people thought she was creepy, but that was because they couldn't see past her … being different. Anyway, because mom felt this way, and I have to confess that even I gave her a hard time for being dark and a bit creepy … well anyway, she was vulnerable and someone who really was creepy took advantage of that to manipulate mom."

Coraline's eyes opened wide.

"It was that dragon, wasn't it dad?"

He nodded.

"He tricked your mom, and big time. She fell in love with him…"

"She fell in love with a dragon?"

He shook his head.

"No, he disguised himself to look like a pretty cool wizard. He told mom that he was trapped in a book and after getting mom to fall in love with him he tricked her in getting mom to help him escape."

Coraline could not contain her amazement.

"I know mom captured him in a book."

"Yes, she got him back into the book."

Coraline looked very thoughtful for a moment.

"So how did mom take being tricked like that?"

"She was hurt and felt like a fool. She was so ashamed of herself that she withdrew from us, barricading herself in her room for days."

"So what happened after that?"

"Well … I went to see her later. She really was in the dumps. I tried to say something nice, and I think that for the first time ever I said the right thing."

"What did you tell her dad?"

"I said: 'You think you're alone Raven, but you're not'"

Coraline smiled. "That was nice of you dad."

He smiled back.

"Mom came out of her room I did something I wasn't expecting. She hugged me. You have to understand Coraline; mom never hugged anyone before…"

Coraline threw her arms around her father's neck.

"Oh dad." She sniffled. "That was so sweet of you."

He hugged her for a minute before releasing her.

"I suppose, but that wasn't the point. The point was that even your mom made mistakes."

He looked wistfully out the window and sighed.

"It's been over seven years now. Man do I miss her."

"Dad!"

He snapped back to reality.

"Yeah?"

"Dad, mom's not coming back. She died, she can't come back."

"I know."

"Dad, why don't you ask Power Girl out on a date? She's crazy about you, why do you think she became a Titan last year, even though Superman told her not to join us."

"Coraline." He answered testily "We've been over this before. I won't date because no one can measure up to mom."

The ten year old crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair.

"Ok, fine. But I have another question for you."

Garfield sighed. "Not about Power Girl."

"It' not about her."

"Then who is it about? Supergirl? Black Canary? Miss Martian?" He asked in a weary voice.

She shook her head.

"No, not them … dad, I want you to tell me about Terra Markov."

Garfield had a cup of coffee in his hand and almost dropped it.

"Terra? You want me to tell you about Terra?"

His gray daughter nodded silently.

"OK, I suppose you'll learn about her sooner or later anyway."

He paused.

"Where do I begin?"

"How about the part where you fell in love with her?" Coraline replied.

He snorted his disapproval.

"I see your aunt Starfire has already told you about her."

"Maybe she did, but I would like to hear what you have to say."

Garfield cursed his luck. He was very proud of his daughter being a prodigy like her mother was, but sometimes he didn't like the fact she was already smarter than him. There were moments, like this one, where he wondered if was Coraline who was caring for him instead of the other way around.

"Terra was my first crush, my first love. You see, your mom wasn't the only one with self esteem issues. I felt like a freak when I was younger. Girls would laugh at me because I was green and had pointy ears and fangs."

Coraline pulled back her long hair, exposing her own pointed ears.

"Pointy ears are cool dad. I overheard Power Girl tell aunt Starfire that she's dying to fondle your ears. Fangs are cool too." She said as she grinned, exposing her own fangs.

"Did Power Girl really say that?" He asked.

"Yup, I overheard it with my own two pointy ears. You know what else she said?"

He raised his hand to stop her.

"We're not talking about Power Girl. Anyway, a lot of girls made fun of me …"

"Because they're stupid, dad."

He chuckled.

"Yes, I know that now. But anyway, my self esteem was pretty low when Terra showed up. She was the first girl to ever give me the time of day. You can't imagine how much that meant to me…"

"So she was your Malchior?"

Garfield jerked upon hearing the accusation.

"NO! Terra was not a monster. She was confused and had even less self esteem than I did. She had a horrible fear of being rejected and Slade took advantage of that to manipulate her. In the end she did the right thing, even though she had no idea what would happen to her…"

"When she was turned to stone?"

"Yes. At that was the worst day of my life. At least back then it was."

"Did she love you dad?"

He nodded. "As she lay dying in my arms, she told me that she loved me. It was the last thing she said before she died."

He choked back a sob.

"Did you love her dad?"

He hesitated before answering.

"Yes, I did." He stammered. "I really did. Had she not betrayed us … well … who knows what would have happened?"

"You mean I might not have been born?"

He sighed.

"I don't know … maybe … I mean who really knows? I'm sorry Coraline, what a terrible thing to tell you."

Coraline hugged her father.

"It's OK dad, I just wanted to know … to know if you could love someone besides mom. Now I know you can."

She kissed her father on the cheek before releasing him.

"I won't bug you about Power Girl anymore dad. I promise"

She then turned back to the needle and thread. Focusing with all she had she made them both levitate. Then with a single swift motion the thread passed cleanly through the needle's eye.

Garfield was preparing dinner for himself and Coraline. He never imposed his vegetarian morals on his daughter, but she became a vegetarian of her own free will after she turned eight. The two busied themselves, preparing their meal. They were alone in the Tower that evening. Nightwing and Starfire were in Gotham visiting Bruce and Alfred. Wally Jinx and their brood were visiting his parents in Central City. Cyborg was visiting the Titans East while Power Girl was back in Metropolis visiting Clark and her interdimensional twin, AKA Supergirl.

The two Logans had their kitchen routine down pat, to the point where it almost looked choreographed. Garfield sautéed the tofu while Coraline prepared the rice and the green vegetables. Soon the meal was ready and they set down to enjoy their meal. Coraline had set the table very elegantly and was pouring some guava juice for them to drink with their meal. They then sat down and began to enjoy their dinner.

"Dad, I have a question."

"Fire away."

"Ok. Mom has mentioned several times in the lesson videos that I'm not 100% human and neither is she. She's never explained what our non human part is."

"And you want me to tell you?"

She smiled at him.

"Well, yeah, actually I do."

Garfield put his fork down and rested his chin on his right hand.

"I could, but mom will tell you later."

"When?"

"I'm not sure. She mentioned that it would be later. That's all I know."

Coraline heaved a heavy sigh.

"Somehow, I knew you would say that."

"I'm sorry sweetie, but mom made me promise …"

"It's OK dad, I understand." She said dejectedly. "I'll just have to wait two more years."

"If it matters, you're going to find out before mom thought you would. At your current pace you're going to complete mom's lessons when you're 12. She thought you wouldn't finish until you turned 14."

Coraline began to play with her food, twirling her fork while she frowned.

"Big whoop. It's still two more years. Why did mom make such a big deal about this? Why can't I know now? "

She looked up from her plate.

"It has to do with my powers, right?"

He nodded.

"Let me guess, mom was half demon, right?"

Garfield was unable to conceal his surprise.

"Well … I …"

"It's OK dad, it wasn't that hard to figure out. She did defeat Trigon, only another demon could do that. But it's also why mom had such low self esteem. She thought she was evil, didn't she?"

"There was nothing evil about your mother. She was a great person, she was selfless and brave and …"

Coraline placed her hand on her father's hand.

"I know dad. What I still don't know is who my demonic grandparent is."

"Mom will let you know later. And I'm not telling you, so don't ask … please."

Coraline held her palm up and examined it.

"At least I now know why I'm gray. I'm a demon."

Garfield took her hand.

"No Coraline, you're not a demon and neither is your mother. You're a wonderful girl, just like your mother. Never forget that!"

"No dad, you're wrong. Girls don't have powers like mine. I'm different dad; I can feel the darkness within me."

"I know you can, mom used to feel it too. But it never controlled her, it almost did once, but she beat it."

Coraline gave her father a worried look.

"What do you mean dad?"

"A long time ago a dark side of mom's personality broke loose. She called it 'Rage'. Cyborg and I went into her mind and we helped her get Rage under control."

"So you're saying that she needed help? She was stronger than me. How am I supposed to control my darkness by myself if mom couldn't do it?"

"No Coraline, you see, in the end it was mom who got Rage back under control. And since your only ¼ demon Rage won't be as strong within you as she was with mom."

Coraline ran to her father and hugged him.

"I'm so scared dad, how can I do this by myself?"

Garfield cupped Coraline's chin in his hand and gently raised it, so she would look into his eyes.

"You might think you're alone Coraline, but you're not." He replied as he wiped her tears away.

"I'm sorry dad, I'm such a coward."

He kissed her forehead.

"No you're not. You're a 10 year old girl. But don't worry sweetie, you'll never be alone."

She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tight.

"I love you dad."

As Coraline continued to sob into his chest, Changeling thought of Raven. She never had a real father, someone to raise and protect her. She had been so strong and independent since the day he met her. And Robin had been right when he said that had never met anyone who was so full of hope as Raven. His heart ached for his lost mate and for all the trials and tribulations she went through as a child. The abandonment she experienced, the terrible burden she carried in her heart, a burden that Coraline would not learn about until she was older, much older. A burden that was to a lesser extent Coraline's as well. To learn that Trigon the Terrible was her grandfather, how could she ever bear such a terrible burden, yet it was perfectly clear that she had a right to know, and she would when she was ready for it.

"I love you too Coraline. And so does mom. We all love you, Starfire, Nightwing, Cyborg, Jinx, Wally, even Power Girl. So don't be afraid, we got you covered."

_One year later…_

The bell clattered loudly, its metallic ring echoing through the classroom. A collective murmur of relief was heard throughout the room as the last class of the day, Friday, was finally over. The professor, a middle aged man with a short beard and who wore a corduroy coat with elbow patches, raised his voice.

"Before you take off to exude in a much anticipated three day weekend, there is a last minute assignment…"

Coraline grumbled silently.

_Like we don't already have enough homework. Why do they always give us extra assignments when there's a three day weekend?_

"… you need to finish reading Moby Dick and write an essay on why Starbuck is a Quaker."

One of the boys in the class stood up. He was very tall and, in Coraline's opinion, rather handsome.

_Don't say it Ethan … don't say it_. Coraline thought to herself as the boy opened his mouth. Unfortunately he didn't have common sense to match his chiseled good looks.

"Finish it? We haven't even started it!"

_He said it._

"This is Dawson Academy, Mr. Buckley; a student of your caliber should be able to easily read the book in an alcohol induced stupor if given three days."

Roger shrugged as a shapely classmate consoled him.

"Have a good weekend." The professor said as he charged out the door. "I know I will."

As soon as the professor was out of earshot everyone in the 11th grade classroom emitted a collective groan. Coraline reached for her satchel (backpacks were not allowed at Dawson Academy) while her classmates began to socialize with each other, making plans for the long weekend. She stared at her shapely classmates, whose ample bosoms were not disguised by their school uniforms. Of course she had nothing to disguise, she wasn't even wearing a training bra yet, never mind that some of her much older classmates already wore D cups.

None of the boys ever talked to her on a social level, and why would they she thought to herself as she began to pack her book satchel to take home. First it was the math book; there were 40 differential equations exercises to do over the weekend. There was also history, biology, chemistry and physics homework to do and she stuffed those books into her backpack. She then reached for her Spanish textbook before remembering that there was no Spanish homework for that weekend.

"Gracias a Dios" she mumbled quietly as she put the Spanish text book back into her desk. As she looked up she saw that half the class was already gone. It was then that she heard a voice behind her.

"Uh … Coraline?"

The gray girl turned around and found herself eye to eye with Sachidev Patel. He was the other prodigy in the class and while he was a year older than her 11 years he wasn't any taller than her. He nervously pushed his glasses back up the ridge of his nose.

"Oh, hi Sachi." She replied as she zipped her satchel shut. Sachi's mother was the chief scientist at the local Wayne Enterprises R&D center.

"Are … you busy this weekend?" He asked nervously.

"I have a lot of homework." She replied.

"Yeah, me too." He laughed nervously. "Uh, would you mind if we … uh … worked on it together, over the weekend?"

She stopped and stared at him. They had been classmates since she caught up with him in eighth grade. She thought he was kind of cute, in a nerdy sort of way.

"Sure, can you come to my house?" She replied as she gave him a small smile.

"Really, you mean come to Titans Tower?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Uh, wow, yeah … sure … I'll ask my mom to bring me over. Uh, at what time?"

"There is a lot of homework to do. How about at 10? We can work until we're done. If there isn't a mission Cyborg will make us some lunch."

Sachi couldn't believe his luck. She was inviting him over for lunch!

"That sounds … great. I'll see you tomorrow! Bye Coraline!" He answered, unable to conceal his excitement as he ran out of the classroom.

"Sachi!" She called out to him. He ran back into the classroom.

"Huh?" Was his only reply as he ran back into the room.

Coraline enveloped the satchel which he had forgotten at his desk and sent it floating to him.

"You forgot something." She teased him as the leather book bag landed in his hands.

"You are so cool!" He beamed at her before rushing out again. "See you tomorrow!"

Coraline shook her head while she smiled.

"He's such a geek!" She told herself as she walked out of the classroom, the last student to leave. She hummed happily to herself as she walked to the pickup area where her father would pick her up in the T-Car, unless Aunt Starfire would come flying to escort her home. For some reason her father preferred to drive instead of morphing into a bird to pick her up, and she hated it. The T-Car always stood out like a sore thumb in the sea of Japanese and European luxury sedans and SUVs that the other students' parents would drive. She still didn't know why someone had to pick her up; she was perfectly able to fly back to the Tower on her own power.

As she reached the pickup area Sachi was climbing into his mother's Audi and he saw her, waving one last time before closing the door. Coraline waved back as the car pulled away…

… and the ground began to shake violently. At first everyone thought it was an earthquake, but that misconception was quickly dispelled as several huge giants popped out of the ground, like those videos showing plants germinating in fast motion and growing instantly.

Coraline turned to the teachers supervising the pickup area and shouted: "Get everyone out of here!" as she became airborne. As the teachers and remaining students fled she saw that one of the giants, which she now recognized as a Japanese demon, had flipped over the Patel's car.

"You leave them alone!" The grey girl shouted with all her lungs. There were 12 of the golems present, each 30 to 40 feet tall, and they were now all focusing on her.

_Uh, oh!_

Coraline pulled her communicator out of her belt and pressed the panic button. Starfire's face appeared on the screen.

"Are you OK Coraline? I am already on my way to collect you."

"I'm OK Aunt Starfire, but some Japanese Demons are attacking the school, and they seem really interested in me right now!"

Starfire's face betrayed the panic she was feeling.

"Run Coraline! Fly away as fast as you can! They are after you!"

The demons were drawing closer to Coraline. Their ugliness was only matched by their stench.

"If I run away the might hurt everyone here!"

"Coraline, it is you they seek! Fly away! That is an order! I will deal with the demons."

Coraline knew that it would take Starfire a few minutes to arrive as the Tower was on the other side of town.

"Hurry Aunt Starfire, hurry! They'll hurt my friends here!" She shouted before shutting her communicator. She was about to flee when she saw that the Patel's car had caught fire and they had not emerged from it.

The demons looked horrific and scary, even if they were mere brutes in the order of things demonic. They scared her and her instinct was to flee as Starfire had ordered her. But the flames on the overturned Audi were growing and doors were still shut, probably jammed.

Coraline flew down to the car, dodging several demons along the way. As she reached the side of the car she saw Sachi and his mother desperately trying to get out, but her suspicion had been correct: the doors were jammed and the windows wouldn't open.

She covered the door with her dark energy, but it wouldn't budge. Sachi pointed behind her and she turned. The demons were drawing close.

Turning back to the car she shouted "Magister Cori Magi!"

The door came off the car like a banana peel and the Patels crawled out of the overturned car.

Coraline had used her "mantra". Her mother had explained to her just a few weeks before about the "unlocking key" that she would have to choose for herself. She had learned that the key would serve both as a meditation mantra as well as the mechanism for unlocking her full powers. Raven had told her in the video to pick a phrase that would have great meaning to her. For Coraline it was a no brainer. She had always admired her mother's prowess as a sorceress and she wanted to become a great mage just like Raven had been. Her mantra/key meant 'Coraline, Master Mage" in Latin.

"We're surrounded!" Mrs. Patel shrieked as she stared in horror at the demons. As Coraline adopted a fighting stance it began to rain starbolts around them. The demons nearest to them staggered as Starfire swooped in, connecting a right jab to the first demon, sending it flying.

"The cavalry's arrived! Let's get out of here!" Coraline shouted as she wrapped Sachi and his mother in her dark energy and they flew away. As they flew away she saw her father, Power Girl and the Flash carrying Jinx arrive.

"Go back to the Tower!" Starfire shouted.

They didn't have to tell her twice. As she flew home, with the Patel's still in tow, she began to wonder.

"Why were they after me?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Oooh! I wonder who's behind the attack?

And now, for the mailbag!

**Shyguy1** - "I would like to tell you once again that... YOU ARE AN ASTOUNDING WRITER WHO WRITES THE MOST FANTASTICAL AND WONDERFUL AND BEAUTIFUL STUFF EVER. there, I think that about sums it up. Being only 1/4 demon will definitely put a damper on her power. I think she won't find her moms lessons as easy as her schools lessons. You really are going to hook up Power Girl and Beast Boy aren't you?... I can already tell. She does have a nice rack though. Anywho, as stated above, I love this chapter and your entire story. Keep Writing Space Cowboy"

_I still haven't made my mind up about Power Girl! For those who are unfamiliar with her, Power Girl is Supergirl's bustier twin from a parallel universe who come to "our" universe._

**lpwriter4life** - "All right, Coraline's a genius! XD"

_Were you expecting anything less from the Teeny Titan?_

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "for me being a child of a single parent I'd rather Gar stay single all the way. It'ss just weird him hitting off with Power Girl and yes I demand an alternate Ending! And just for once can I see a very visceral gory end to Hiromi pretty please? It's just that I'me the vengeful type of person so yeah, my brand of justice is an eye for an eye."

_I'll consider an alternate ending. Here's the deal: If we surpass Wild Man in reviews I'll do it._

**xXCanaryXx** - "Well i saw how you said Bb has a soft spot for blondes. Your right. Terra, and even Flamebird (comic chracter) and in "Gar and Girls" (comic) he even admits to FlameBird that he "never could resist a cute blonde and a smile" and we all must remember that Gar actually used to be a blonde when he was 'human.'

Well, this chapter was just amazing. I like how you gave her a scare about Gar. :p kiddo needs ta toughen up!

My favorite though, was when she is finally starting her lessons. I love that the chakra is being passed down. Definitely a Kodak moment!

Im wondering what Coralines exact powers will be. Will it all be Raven power or will she get a mix and have some BB power? Im actually rooting for both xD"

_So far no BB powers. We'll see._

**TCNinja96** - "8yrs old and already in 8th grade (which I think is Year 9 here in NZ)! Coraline is one smart cookie :)

I'm glad Gar wasnt hurt 2 badly. It's bad enough that she hd to grow up without Raven :(

Loved the part where Coraline was watchng the videos. It was so sweet and just heartwarming. You're very good at writing those sorts of moments :D"

_I'm a softie at heart!_

**Ben A** - "Yay! Thank you for the gold star! I loved this chapter by the way. I have another prediction of the future. In chapter 12 of your story, Raven was concerned that Terra was going to steal Beastboy from her. I believe she really did have a vision of the future, but the girl she thought was Terra was actually Powergirl. It just seems to add up. Am I correct, or is this nonsense? I hope I'm not spoiling the ending with this guess."

_It would be pretty hard to not het swept away by Power Girl. But BB is still mourning Raven._

**The Cretin** - "Thanks for answering, though I don't know if she would be immune to silver's magical aspects or not. But anyway, Gar and Coraline's interaction was beautifully written. I also have to say I love what you've done with Star. Gar's my favorite Titan but Kory has to be right up there, either side by side or a close second. As always, the detail and developement you write are at the top of the game and I eagerely await your next installment to this story."

_Starfire never got a fair shake in the show. Everyone got an arc except for her._

**The One They Call Shamis** - "As much as it sucks to see Raven truly dead, I must admit that seeing one of the heroes fall has always made for an interesting story to me. It makes the heroes seem more human, in my opinion.

As is to be expected from you, the sheer awesomeness of this story has yet to fail to impress me, keep it up!"

_Believe it or not, it was really hard for me to have Raven die. Some of you think I'm a sadist, but it wasn't easy at all._

**almostinsane** - "Great chapter! LOL. Coraline DOES take after her mother. Thanks so much for writing this. God bless!"

_As we now know she has the coveted pointed ears! _

**(no name)** - "How many chapters left?"

_A few more._

**AllYourWafflesBelongToMe** - "The chapter was somewhat unexpected but great nonetheless! I'm enjoying the father-daughter moments you wrote. And I can't wait to read more. Coraline's getting started with her lessons and once she finishes them I can't wait to see her kick Hiromi's butt. :)"

_She had her first encounter today. Too bad she wasn't quite ready._

**titanfan45** - "Looks like this story is going to start being a bit happier, at least for a little while. Great job with Coraline's character."

_It will have its ups and downs"_

**GreenRock** - " What I like about this story being where it is at now, is that no one (apart from you) knows where the story is going to lead into. Now the main plot of the story - and the result of that plot - has come and gone, not knowing where the story will go now, opens up the door for a a myriad of possibilities."

_I like to keep you on your toes!_

**FelynxTiger** - "An extraordinary chapter for Coraline. It must have been hard for her in school , good thing she's a genius and get out of there :D i like her being super intelligent , and the fact that she read just like her mother .A little touchy moment when Coraline watch her mother in the video :)"

_I can only imagine what it would be like to have a mother you don't really remember all that much, who is dead, and have her teach you lessons via recordings._


	34. Unexpected strength

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The scene at the school was utter mayhem. Students and faculty were running in all directions, desperately seeking shelter from the horned monsters that were now battling the six Titans who had now all arrived. Two demons per Titan was not a challenge, but new demons kept emerging from the ground faster that the local superheroes could vanquish them.

Starfire was the first to arrive and was soon joined by Power Girl, the Flash and Jinx. The two super strong heroines pummeled the huge demons with everything they had. While not powerful like upper class demons like Trigon the brutes were huge and very strong, but between their fists, eyebeams and starbolts the two female aliens mowed down their opponents methodically and efficiently.

Jinx and Flash were busy getting civilians out of harm's way. Jinx would cast hexes on the demons, causing them to trip and fall while her husband snatched people who were a little too close to the battle scene and absconded them to safety.

Changeling arrived shortly, flying in as peregrine falcon. He landed at the edge of the battle scene and morphed into his human form.

"Adeat!" He shouted and began to morph into a dozen copies of the Beast, each armed with two huge swords. The green leviathans charged into the fray, slashing at the demons as the continued popping out of the ground. Garfield no longer had to worry about the draining effect that taking his Ministra Magi form would have on Raven. He could now tap into her magical power until it was completely drained, which would take about 6 minutes. A fact that was not lost on a distant observer.

Hiromi had placed thousands of talismans on the school grounds the night before. She knew that even if she summoned them all at once that she could not defeat the Titans.

But she could keep them busy for a long time.

Hiromi mounted a broom as she changed her focus towards the Tower and stealthily took off, her eyes locked on the flying girl wearing a school uniform. She flew low as she left the scene of the battle. She didn't want the Titans to see her.

And she didn't want Coraline to know she was being followed.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Coraline landed on the Tower roof and released Sachi and his mother from her dark energy.

"I'm sorry I dragged both of you here." She apologized as she placed her palm on a reader, unlocking a heaving steel access door. "I didn't want to stop."

"Don't worry dear, you did the right thing. And thank you for saving us; you really are your mother's daughter." Mrs. Patel replied.

"I told you mom, Corie is awesome!"

Coraline blushed as she led them to the common room, where she headed to the main console. After typing a few keystrokes she spoke into the console's microphone.

"Tower lockdown, authorization Coraline alpha gamma theta omicron."

The entire Tower began to be covered in titanium panels, which appeared seemingly out of nowhere until the entire Tower was cocooned in them.

"We should be safe now." Coraline announced. "Those demons can't get past Uncle Cyborg's latest defenses."

"What if they do?" Mrs. Patel asked.

"We could go to the safe room." Coraline replied.

"Maybe we should go there now." The woman suggested.

Coraline looked troubled. She hesitated before replying.

"Only as a last resort."

"Why dear?"

Coraline looked very sad as she answered.

"My mother's body is kept there. It's a long story …"

Mrs. Patel gestured the girl to not apologize.

"There is no need to explain. Forgive me dear. I'm sure we're perfectly safe here."

"Coraline, why did those monsters attack the school?" Sachi asked.

The gray girl looked away.

"I don't know. All I know is that my Aunt Starfire said they were after me."

"After you, but why?"

Coraline shook her head.

"I have no idea."

Remembering that there would be live coverage on channel 7, Coraline picked up the TV remote and powered on the giant TV, which was already tuned into the desired channel. The scene that greeted them took their breath away.

"I think the school is going to be closed next week." Sachi commented in a daze.

Dawson Academy was in ruins while the Titans continued to battle with hundred of giant demons.

"There's your dad! He looks so awesome when he fights with those swords!" Sachi commented.

Coraline was far more familiar with the battle tactics the Titans used and she could tell that they were winging it. She had begun to train on the infamous obstacle course and understood the effects that bodily fatigue had on one's battle effectiveness. And she quickly noticed that the Titans were beginning to look fatigued, with the exceptions of Starfire and Power Girl.

It was then that Changeling's Ministra Magi powers were used up. He reverted to his default human form. Nightwing approached him and pointed at the Tower and Changeling nodded before morphing into a bird and heading back home. Nightwing had sent him home to be with her. What she did not know was that he had injured himself earlier when one of the demons killed one of his Beast doppelgangers. The loss had weakened him and Nightwing could tell that he was in no shape to continue fighting.

"Dad's coming home." She sighed in relief. "We'll be safe now."

Unbeknown to Coraline a portal opened in the Tower's basement and a lone figure stepped out of the black void and silently walked up the stairs out of the basement. She wore an invisibility cloak, with which she hoped to use to get around the Tower's security system.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Coraline monitored her father's flight back to the Tower by tracking his communicator. A red dot on the screen showed his position, which was still distant. Sachidev was able to discern the worried look on her face.

"What's the matter Coraline? You look … disturbed."

"Dad's flying really slow, slower than normal. I think he's hurt."

Coraline began to walk towards the common room's exit. "Wait here." She called over her shoulder.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"To the infirmary. I need to get it ready for dad."

"Let me come and help you." He offered.

"I was trained as a physician." Dr. Patel announced. "I think I should come as well."

The gray girl turned around. While she still looked apprehensive, she now looked a little less worried.

"Thank you Dr. Patel. We need to hurry, dad will be here soon."

"How will he get in?" Sachidev asked. "This place is sealed tight."

"There is a secure access hatch on the roof with a palm reader. He should be able to get in."

The trio walked down the dark hallways, which were dimly illuminated by the Tower's emergency lighting system. After a brief ride up the elevator they reached the level where the infirmary was located and Coralline led them into the Titans sick bay.

She stepped up to her father's dedicated med station and began to turn on the many monitoring devices, while Dr. Patel found a portable X ray machine and wheeled it over to the station.

"Your infirmary is very well equipped." Dr. Patel remarked as she quickly began to glance at the X ray machines operator's guide. "I could handle almost any medical task here."

"I was born in this room." Coraline responded absentmindedly as she continued working through the setup checklist for the med station. She glanced at a display on the wall and saw that her father was already on the Tower's rooftop. Grabbing a wheelchair she headed for the door.

"I'll go get him."

As she walked out the door claxons began to blare and red lights began to flash. A computerized voice was heard over the PA system.

"_**Intruder alert! An intruder has been detected in the Tower's basement level. Intruder alert!"**_

Coraline froze. Since she was old enough to be left alone in the Tower while the Titans were away on a mission she had been taught what to do if the intruder alert alarm was triggered. She was torn, as she knew that her father was entering the building at that very moment and no doubt was in need of medical care. But he had told her what to do many times:

_If the intruder alert alarm goes off I want you to barricade yourself in the safe room. No exceptions unless you can't reach it, and in that case I want you to run away as fast as you can. Do you understand?_

Of course she had understood, and every six months when Nightwing made them take the refresher Standard Operating Procedures class it was hammered back into her head.

_No exceptions!_

"Coraline, what's happening?" Dr. Patel asked.

The gray girl swallowed hard. It wasn't just her hide she had to protect, but Sachidev and his mother were at risk too.

"Someone broke into the Tower. Someone … hostile."

"Are we in danger?" Dr. Patel asked.

Coraline took a deep breath.

"Follow me. We're going to the safe room."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hiromi grunted her displeasure as the claxons began to blare. She wasn't even halfway up the basement stairs when she had been detected. Her element of surprise was gone. She quickened her pace and began to run up the stairs.

She pulled a talisman that was shaped like a bird, she inserted a single violet hair into its paper beak. The single strand of Coraline's hair was a serendipitous find, which she had encountered by mere happenstance when she was planting her demon talismans the night before. She had found it in the girl's showers in the gym. Hiromi had killed the regular lady janitor and took her place that night. She almost didn't see the single violet hair in the shower drain as she planted a talisman in each stall.

"Talisman, talisman! Lead me to the girl!" She shouted as she launched the paper bird, which began to flap its wings and flew off with Hiromi running behind it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Coraline led the Patels to the stairwell.

"Wouldn't the elevator be faster?" Dr. Patel asked.

"Yes, but Nightwing says we could get trapped in it, that the stairs were safer. The Safe Room is three levels down, it's not far."

As the trio ran out of the stairwell Coraline's communicator chirped. She pulled it out of the pocket in her school blazer and flipped it open, revealing her father's very concerned face.

"Coraline, where are you?"

"We're almost in the safe room dad!" She panted in reply as they continued to run.

"Whatever you do, don't stop and don't disconnect until I know you're safe!" He replied. "The outside door is jammed, it won't open. I'll find a way in, but it might take some time."

The trio charged around the last corner and the massive armored doors were now in view.

"It's OK dad, we made it, I just need to open the doors."

"Don't hang up yet!" He shouted back.

Coraline ran up to the palm reader next to the door, while Dr. Patel and Sachidev were behind, struggling to catch up with her.

"Don't you ever get tired?" Sachi shouted in an annoyed tone between deep breaths as they came around the corner.

"My parents are super heroes. Of course I don't." She said as she extended her palm to the reader.

Before Coraline could touch the pad she was slammed against the wall by an invisible force. She bounced off the wall and tottered before falling to the floor unconscious.

"Corie!" Sachi screamed as he ran to her.

"Sachi! Stop!" His mother screamed.

Dr. Patel gasped as a woman appeared out of thin air.

"As a rule I prefer Asian magic, but I have to hand it to the western wizards, invisibility cloaks are very useful!" Hiromi crowed.

Sachi reached Coraline's limp form and examined her head. She had a nasty bump.

"Oh Corie, please be OK!" He whimpered.

"How tender! Aren't you a little young to have a girlfriend?"

The boy looked up at the woman and snarled at her as he charged. Hiromi grinned and with a mere hand gesture sent the boy flying. Sachi also bounced off the wall and landed on the floor. He moaned in pain as his mother ran to his side.

"Please don't hurt us, I beg you! I'll give you anything you want!" Dr. Patel pleaded for their lives.

"You have nothing that I want. But do not worry; I am not planning on killing you or your boy. You see, I want witnesses to tell the Titans about how I killed Raven's daughter. I want you and your son to see and recount every gory detail."

Dr. Patel clutched her son tightly as she stared in horror at the sorceress.

Hiromi walked over to Coraline and picked her up by the neck of her blazer. Her communicator, still active, was lying abandoned on the floor.

Hiromi walked up to the palm reader and placed Coraline's hand on it. The reader scanned her hand and spoke in a synthetic voice.

"_**Coraline Logan … recognized."**_

The heavy titanium doors parted open and Hiromi tossed Coraline aside as she entered the massive and heavily fortified vault. Her good mood was soured when all she saw was Raven's titanium coffin in the safe room. Coraline rubbed her head as she slowly regained consciousness. This did not go unnoticed by Sachi who ran to her side.

"Corie, are you OK? Are you hurt?"

"Just a little, I'm OK, at least I think I am."

Hiromi approached Raven's coffin and opened it, knocking a vase full of violet roses that sat on top of it to the ground, shattering the vase. She peered inside with a frown. As expected she saw Raven's elderly and lifeless body inside the container. She reached inside and began to rummage around, as if looking for something.

"Stop that!" Coraline shouted. "Leave her alone … can't you she she's dead?"

Hiromi ignored her and kept searching the coffin. Finally she huffed and slammed the lid shut. She turned to Coraline with a murderous look in her eyes.

"Where is he? Tell me child and I might spare you and your friend's lives!"

"What are you talking about?" The girl replied, still feeling dazed from her encounter with the wall. She spat blood from her mouth as Sachi wrapped his arms around her protectively.

"Don't play innocent with me child! WHERE IS ANDREAS?"

Coraline stared in confusion at Hiromi. She remained ignorant of her mother's true fate as well as the identity of the murderer who stood before her.

"I don't know any Andreas. What do you want from us?" She asked the woman, buying time in the hope that the Titans would soon return to the Tower.

Hiromi began walking towards Coraline, her fists clenched and her teeth gritted.

"Tell me now you brat …"

Once again Sachi charged at the woman.

"Leave her alone you nasty witch!"

Hiromi's left hand morphed into a tentacle and wrapped itself around the boy.

"I've had my fill of you, boy!"

Dr. Patel screamed in panic.

"Please don't hurt him!"

"Too late for that doctor." Hiromi replied as she slammed him onto the floor.

"Sachi!" Coraline shouted.

"And now for you brat!" She shouted as her other arm morphed into another tentacle, wrapping itself around a still feeble Coraline.

"Who are you" The eleven year old replied defiantly. "What do you want?"

Hiromi smiled evilly before answering.

"Tell me child, do you know how your mother died?"

Coraline frowned at the woman.

"It's none of your business."

"Oh but it is Coraline, it is. You see, I killed your mother."

Coraline's eyes widened as she gasped.

"That can't be true, my mother died of old age."

"Of accelerated old age. I delivered the final curse. I killed your mother and unless you tell me where Andreas is you're going to join her!"

Coraline stared fiercely at Hiromi.

"I've never heard of this Andreas. And even if I did why should I tell you? You aren't fooling anyone with your offer. I know you'll kill me anyway."

Sachi stared in wonder at his classmate. She was … amazing. She was so brave … and so right. The mysterious sorceress was lying of course; she was going to kill them all. Sachi felt fear grip his spine and yet felt inspired by Coraline's defiance and bravery.

"You are fearless, just like your mother. Too bad you didn't turn out to be an idiot like your father; this would be so much easier if you were more like him."

"My father is a great man and not a coward like you." The eleven year old snarled.

Hiromi fell silent; Coraline tried to summon her dark energy but was still too weak from the beating she had received at Hiromi's hands.

"In that case child, it's time to die."

Hiromi drew a Japanese dagger with her other arm, which was now back to its human form, and held the razor sharp blade to Coraline's neck.

"Why did you kill my mother?" Coraline asked bravely.

The Japanese sorceress withdrew the blade.

"I suppose you deserve to know. The truth is that she betrayed her father, and I … avenged him."

"W-what are you talking about?" The girl stammered.

Hiromi grinned.

"You don't know who your grandfather is, do you?"

Coraline stared in shock; suddenly there was fear in her eyes.

"I thought so. This is so perfect." She laughed. "I can see why they shielded you from the truth."

She laughed again.

"But now, it's time to end this story …"

Coraline gulped, as she braced herself for what was about to happen.

"You see my dear, you are the granddaughter of my master, who your mother betrayed and destroyed … Trigon the Terrible."

Sachi regained consciousness in time to see Coraline do something he had never seen her do before.

She cried.

"That's a lie! It's impossible! That can't be true, you lying bitch!"

Hiromi chuckled.

"The truth hurts, doesn't it child? But don't worry, this will hurt even more."

Time seemed to go into slow motion as Sachi watched the vile blade hungrily approach Coraline's exposed neck. He began to cry as the hopelessness of the situation sank in. He was going to watch Coraline die and after that he and his mother were going to die at the hands of the evil sorceress.

Suddenly time snapped back to its regular speed and all he saw was a green flash before him. The blade went flying out of Hiromi's hand and before he knew what had happened the sorceress was sprawled on the ground.

His eyes opened wide as they saw the fiercest looking creature he had ever seen, which picked Coraline up and hugged her. As she returned his hug he heard her whimper: "dad".

Hiromi picked herself up from the ground.

"So the mighty Beast has made an appearance! Do you really think you can defeat me Changeling?" She sneered at the leviathan who stood before her "Let me show you what I can do!"

Hiromi began to morph into a horrible reptile like creature, growing even bigger than the Beast.

The Beast handed Coraline to Sachi, who draped one of her arms around his neck as he led the still limping girl to a safe distance.

Coraline watched as her injured father battled with the strange creature that Hiromi had morphed into, a creature that looked like a Gordanian on steroids. At first the battle was an even match. They both thrashed at each other, their claws occasionally reaching their target. Soon both were bleeding profusely and this was when Hiromi got the upper hand. Coraline not only noticed that her father was moving slower than before but she could feel his agony with her now budding empathic skills. The battle was taking a turn for the worse.

She had to help him, otherwise he would lose.

He would die.

Suddenly Hiromi spun away from the now dazed Beast and reverted to her human form. Coraline attempted to stand up but her legs still felt like rubber. She tried to summon her dark energy but nothing happened.

"Dammit, why am I so weak, why can't I be strong like mom?" She whimpered.

As soon as Hiromi finished reverting to her human form she threw at Talisman at the now staggering Beast. The paper rectangle hit him and he reverted to his human form. Coraline gasped as she saw how injured her father was, his body was covered in gashes and deep wounds. He struggled to breathe as Hiromi morphed one of her arms into a dark tentacle and wrapped it around his neck, choking him. He was beginning to suffocate.

"Too bad you used up all your magical energy back at the school Changeling; it sure would come in handy now wouldn't it?" Hiromi sneered. "What a magnificent day! Not only will I kill Raven's spawn, I get to kill her mate as well!"

_Dad!_

Hiromi grinned as he fell to his knees; his hands were prying at the tentacle, trying in vain to loosen it. Coraline began to cry again.

"Corie, you have to help your dad." Sachi whispered to her.

"I can't, my powers are too weak. I can't even stand up. Why can't I be more like my mother? She was strong, I'm weak and I'm a failure." She sobbed.

"Then be more like your father."

Coraline's eye opened wide as Sachi's words sank in. She was trying to mimic her mother, to become her equal. But she wasn't Raven, she was Coraline.

And her mother wasn't the only one who could do magic. Her father hadn't made 2000 videos for her; in fact he had taught her but a single trick.

"Sachi, help me sit up." She moaned.

Her classmate complied with her request and once she was sitting she extended her palm towards Hiromi, who was facing away from her.

"Magister Cori Magi" She intoned and felt her magical senses swell.

"Sagitta magica, series obscuri." She whispered.

A single spear of dark energy shot out of her palm, flying like a guided missile to its target.

It hit Hiromi square in the back, shattering her spine and piercing her heart. Her tentacles evaporated and she collapsed to the ground. She was dead before her head hit the ground with a dull thud.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

So! What do you think? I told you Coraline had a big role to play.

Sadly, Avatar is leaving us in the dust (we're already 100 stories behind). Good thing we're 13,000 stories ahead of 3rd place.

And now it's mail bag time. We're getting close to Wild Man's review count. My offer still stands: If we surpass it I will write an alternate ending (you'll need to be patient while I think of one that doesn't stink.)

And now it's mailbag time!

**lpwriter4life** - "Uh oh, Trigon is back! I love that the Teeny Titan might have a boyfriend though; it's cute."

_Sachi isn't going away! He too has a role to play._

**xXCanaryXx** - ":) Aww Coraline has a little crush! xD

Oh poor gal. Flat chested still. It must be far worse in high school where everybody is basically developed. x(

My my curious little kiddo aint she! Figures that shes smart enought

To know shes part demon. She also must be part animal though ... right?

Poor child doesnt know her grandpa IS Trigon the Terrible.

Oh im so excited! It must be Hiromi who attacked! Do you know any other magic weilder that has a grudge against the Logan family?"

_Hiromi is now vanquished, but what about Andreas?_

**The One They Call Shamis** - "Fantastic chapter yet again. I figured you didn't enjoy killing off Raven. Few people would *cough cough* BBTerras *cough cough*. I just thought I would throw my opinion in since you mentioned how many people were requesting you revive her somehow.

Cannot wait until the final showdown. I hope Gar goes ape on Hiromi. First she took his wife and now she's gunning for his daughter? That's an equation for one supreme Beast Boy beat down!"

_I hope Hiromi's end wasn't too anticlimactic._

**Shyguy1** - "Uh Oh, she's baaack. I bet anything its Hiromi, or one of her kids. She's the only real Japanese sorceress that has a bone to pick with the Titans and especially Raven's daughter. I think that BB and Power Girl should hook up. I know he really loves Raven and he will probably never love another girl as much as he loved her, but Power Girl really likes him and he doesn't dislike her. Are you gonna be putting Sachi and Coraline together. That would be so cute! anywho, Keep Writing Space Cowboy."

_BB really does need a new mate._

**black thorn angel** - "hey i really enjoyed the ch. i liked coraline shes a good charater i feel bad for bb though not being with raven"

_I'm having a lot of fun developing Coraline. She doesn't have her mom's hang ups and in many ways she's a lot like her dad. Still she has a lot of self imposed pressure to measure up to her mom._

**titanfan45** - "Looks like Coraline is now the focus of her Mother's enemies. Looks like Beast Boy is going to have some explaining to do."

_Next chapter Coraline will confront her father about the truth._

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "So Hiromi and Trigon is on the offensive getting Coraline eh. And I think it's high time Gar told her about Grandpa Dearest. Because she'd be the key in destroying every single follower of her grandpa."

_She sure fixed Hiromi's wagon. I wonder how she will handle having taken someone's life? Stay tuned._

**St. Jack of randomness** - "No offense, but I like the fact that I can smile for a change when reading a chapter of this story. It had everything, a nice little father/daughter moment between Changeling and Coraline, a hint of fluff between Sachi and Coraline. And to top it all off, a bit of action with the return of Hiromi."

_I know, the story got very heavy for a while. Do you guys think that Sachi and Coraline could hit it off as they get older? Can a "normie" have a balanced relationship with a superhero?_

**AllYourWafflesBelongToMe** - "Hiromi strikes back!The awesomeness never stops coming! OH YEAH this is gonna be fun.

...but I wonder how Coraline is going to react when she learns the truth about her mother.."

_She wasn't too happy. I didn't want to go Luke Skywalker with her. Here's a little spoiler: Sachi will help her come to terms with her heritage._

**GreenRock** - "Looks like the big bad Hiromi has returned . . . and not a moment too soon; I've kinda missed her. Very sweet mid-section of the story with Coraline's insecurities about herself - just like her mother. It's nice to see the sweet center of the story have a seemingly bitter end."

_I'm sure that Hiromi never imagined that little Coraline would take her down with a trick she learned from her father._

**TCNinja96** = "HIROMI'S BACK! (I think :/)!

Great chapter you're a fantastic amazing awesome writer :D"

_Thanks!_

**Author Penholder** - "not much to say other than good work, another enjoyable chapter."

_I hope you liked this one as well._

**Ben A** - "Does the ending of this chapter mean the story is now coming to a close and we're going to see the final confrontation with Hiromi? Is Andreas still trapped in that book or what? Will Coraline have any morphining abilities like Beastboy or maybe just enhanced human abilities (hearing, smell, reflexes, healing, etc.)? Just so you know, this is your story, and you can end it how you like; just make sure it's awesome like the rest of your story."

_We are getting close to the end. Still some loose ends to deal with though: Andreas, Power Girl and now Sachidev as well!_

**FelynxTiger** - "Ugh hearing Coraline's homework just reminds me of myself lol

Touchy conversation Father/Daughter bringing confidence to Coraline was describe in an awesome way from BB's part

Find love hah , though everything turn upside down when the demons appear aaaannnd u can't stop the surprises can you? see u next ch.

Ps. Happy V-day!"

_I think that BB doesn't get the credit he deserves for being insightful._

**The Cretin** - "Some nice bonding between Gar and Coraline. The past always has a way of affecting us still. Great introspection and great interaction. On another note, yeah I agree with you about Star. It's one of the reasons I liked BeastBoy's Gambit so much."

_I think Gambit was the strangest story I ever wrote. Also the naughtiest, which is why I recategorized it as an "M", even though it has no lemons._


	35. The Pactio

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The electrocardiograph beeped its rhythmic symphony, its notes echoing gently in the infirmary. Coraline, Jinx and Dr. Patel stood around the med station while the remaining Titans stood at a respectful distance, giving the two medics their space to work.

Coraline watched, with a mixed sense of relief and grief as the two medics applied countless stitches to the green changeling's body. Hiromi's lizard monster alter ego had inflicted a tremendous amount of injury to The Beast. The evil sorceress had not come out of the battle unscathed either, her corpse which was still lying in front of the now resealed safe room was also riddled with deep gashes and wounds.

Dr. Patel and Jinx finished their suturing at about the same time, and stood up from their hunched over positions.

"147 stitches." The doctor announced.

"117" Jinx added.

"Coraline had to fight back the tears. Her father looked awful. His color was pale and he had so many stitches that he could have passed for one of those old fashioned "telstar" soccer balls, the ones with the countless hexagonal and pentagonal patterns on them.

Coraline's most recent video lesson was the introduction to healing. Raven had told her that it would be one of the longest arcs in the entire series, 53 lessons in total. The young girl felt like kicking herself for not having worked at a quicker pace.

_If I had finished that arc I could help dad now._

She felt a friendly touch on her shoulder. Turning to look she saw that it was an orange hand.

"Do not worry beloved Coraline, your father's healing powers are without equal. He will soon heal." Starfire comforted her.

"Mom could heal him even faster." The replied sadly.

Starfire drew the girl into an embrace.

"Do not compare yourself to your mother. She was great woman and a dear friend. Greatness also awaits you Coraline, but it will be your own."

Coraline sniffled.

"I know Aunt Starfire … I just wish I could help dad."

It was then that Coraline noticed her father's ministra pendant, which had been removed from his neck and was lying on a nearby counter. She gently pulled away from the Tamaranian and picked up the pendant. Its emerald glowed with an unnatural light and as she gazed into it she felt it calling to her.

The pendant and its associated pactio spell were created as a bond between her parents, giving her father temporary access to Raven's powers. The pactio was said to complement and augment one's own gifts and powers. In Changeling's case it gave him extraordinary morphing abilities as well as access to the Sagitta Magica, a spell that Raven had never been able to master. Raven initially had thought erroneously that the Latin spell that her husband used to invoke the magic arrows was a placebo he would utter, but the truth was that the spell actually worked, but it would only work for him … that is until he was able to teach Coraline how to wield it. Coraline recalled laughing the day she found out that her father had learned the spell from a fictional wizard name Negi Springfield.

Coraline understood that she was not a copy of her mother, in spite of the striking resemblance she had with Raven. Other than her eyes, ears and fangs she was her mother's splitting image. But she now knew that deep inside her much of her own father lurked as well. She had not inherited her father's shape shifting abilities as the dreaded sakutia virus did not infect her. Apparently her father's ears and fangs managed to become part of his genome and he had passed them to her along with his emerald eyes.

Coraline pondered the mystery and miracle of how a man and woman could come together and create a new life, one that was based off of their own flesh and blood and yet would be unique and different from them. It was then that she had an idea. She slipped the Ministra pendant around her neck while no one was looking.

"Adeat". She whispered.

The girl felt an intense surge of power course through her body. It was a new experience for her and yet it somehow felt familiar.

"Mother, is that you?" She whispered.

There was no verbal response but Coraline felt warmth and love permeate her entire being.

"It is you." She whispered happily before glancing back at her father.

_I guess I'd better hurry up. The pactio will only last a few minutes._

Coraline stepped up next to her father's unconscious form and laid her hands on him. The long absent blue light made its appearance, to the amazement of those present. Dr. Patel's jaw almost dropped as the wounds began to close up and disappear.

Coraline worked quickly and methodically, until all of Changeling's wounds had vanished. She then withdrew her hands and sighed in relief.

"Unbelievable!" Dr. Patel exclaimed. "All I can say is that I now believe in magic."

Coraline suddenly felt the feeling of warmth begin to withdraw from her body, first from her extremities and then from her torso until she only felt it in her head. Suddenly she felt a soft kiss on her cheek and heard a familiar voice in her head say 'I love you'.

The warmth vanished and she heard a small cracking sound. She took the pendant in her hand and examined it.

The emerald had cracked.

There would be no more pactios.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Garfield stared sadly at the damaged pendant, even shedding a tear. He and Coraline were back at their apartment the day after the showdown with Hiromi. He sat on the couch with Coraline next to him. He fondled the cracked emerald with sorrow.

"I'm sorry dad; I didn't know it would break if I used it."

He shook his head.

"I don't think it was your fault."

"What do you mean dad? It broke because I used it. It was a precious gift from mom and I ruined it." She replied, on the verge of breaking down into tears.

"Were you able to fell mom's presence?"

She nodded.

"How did it make you feel?"

She choked back a sob.

"I felt really happy; it felt like mom was hugging me." She began to bawl.

Garfield pulled his daughter into a hug.

"That's how it felt for me too."

Coraline's eyes opened wide.

"So that's why you haven't let go of mom?"

He nodded.

"It was a crutch for me, a way to hang on to her."

"So why dad? Why did she break the emerald?"

He looked upon his daughter's lovely face, wiping her tears away.

"I'm not sure. Before you mother died she told me to use the pactio to protect you, but yesterday you were the one who saved me."

Coraline smiled.

"There might be another reason dad."

"Another reason?"

Coraline smirked at him.

"She wants you to get a girlfriend."

He rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on dad! You keep saying that you're not ready. Well now I know why! As long as you could commune with mom's spirit, even of it was only for a few minutes every day, you wouldn't let her go. She's sending you a message dad!"

"I don't know." He answered uneasily.

"You're so lonely dad!"

He chuckled.

"Who would want to hitch her wagon to a bald green guy like me?"

She crossed her arms defiantly.

"Oh I can think of someone."

"You promised to not bug me about her again." He gently chided her.

"You brought it up first dad. Why don't you give her a chance? I know you would be happy together."

He drew his daughter to him and kissed the crown of her head.

"I'll ask Kara out! But under one condition."

Coraline tensed up. What was he going to demand in return?

"What condition?"

"That when you start dating Sachi you won't get mad if I tease you" He grinned.

"You're joking, right?"

"It's my final offer. Take it or leave it."

She frowned at her father.

"Deal." She grumbled. "You know dad, you can be such a kid sometimes!"

Garfield and Power Girl married 5 months later. Other than the bride and groom, no one seemed happier than Coraline that day, except perhaps for her companion. She thought that Sachi looked rather handsome in his tuxedo.

_4 years later …_

"Where are they?" Nightwing grumbled. "This is their day. You'd think they'd remember to show up."

The common room had been converted into an assembly hall, with over 100 folding chairs deployed, each one with a smiling guest seated on it. There were plenty of Titans present as well as a few Justice League members as well.

"Maybe they aren't ready after all, I mean, if they forgot to show up we should just call it off." He continued to complain. He turned to Changeling and Dr. Patel.

"Do you think that they really are ready for this?" He asked them.

"You of all people can't really believe that they are too young." Changeling asked.

"He's 16 and she's 15." Nightwing retorted. "Look I don't want to hear any history lessons about how that used to be an adequate age to enter into this kind of commitment. Times are different now." He shook his head. "I don't know how you talked me into this…"

"They have been looking forward to this day for years. And I know that they are taking it most seriously." Starfire interrupted. "I shall go and find them."

Starfire flitted out of the common room. She didn't need to search for long, as she knew where they always went when they wanted some privacy … they would be in the evidence room.

Without landing the Tamaranian hovered in front of the room's door and pressed the open button. The door silently slid open.

Coraline and Sachi were in each other's arms, kissing tenderly yet with dash of passion. The princess smirked when she saw that Sachi was fondling her ears (and Coraline had both of her hands on his butt!). She laughed in her mind recalling the day Garfield had first caught the boy fondling his daughter's ears. The others did not understand just how erotic that was for those blessed with sensitive pointy ears. To say that he was displeased that day was an understatement.

After watching for almost a minute the Tamaranian cleared her throat. The couple separated as if shocked by an electric current.

"Aunt Starfire." Coraline acknowledged the Tamaranian as she blushed.

Starfire merely smiled.

"It is time. Everyone is assembled."

"Dear Azar! We lost track of time! I'm so sorry!"

Starfire smiled in reply.

"Do not worry yourselves, but come, we must go now."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The sliding doors parted in the common room and the absent trio emerged. Sachi was wearing a costume that was patterned loosely on Garfield's old Doom Patrol costume that he used to wear when he was known as 'Beast Boy'. But when the crowd saw how Coraline was dressed a gasp was heard throughout the room.

Coraline was dressed in a costume that was identical to her mother's old leotard, cape and boots outfit. The only difference was that the cape, hood and boots were the same shade of green as her father. It wasn't one of her mother's old outfits, as she grown to be a full 3 inches taller than her mother and her old costumes did not fit her.

Garfield looked with pleasure upon his now too shapely daughter, who walked into the room holding Sachi's hand. Cyborg was sitting next to him. He leaned over whispered into his ear: "Don't think of it as losing a daughter, think of it as gaining a punk."

"Very funny tin man."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Garfield had a flashback. It was the day of Coraline's 13th birthday. After the festivities had concluded and the guests had gone home they retreated to their apartment, along with her now stepmother Power Girl.

"We have another present for you." The busty Kryptonian informed her. Unfortunately, just as it had been for Nightwing and Starfire, Garfield and Kara could not have children as their human and Kryptonian genomes were incompatible. Fortunately Kara and Coraline had bonded, and while Coraline never called her 'mom' the truth was that they were very close.

Coraline took the box from Power Girl and opened it while they watched.

"It belonged to your mother."

Coraline stared at the box's contents, mesmerized.

"Is it OK if I try it on?"

"Of course it is."

Coraline stepped into in her bedroom and emerged within a minute. Raven's costume fit her 13 year old body like a glove.

"Wow! It looks great on you." He announced.

Coraline stepped in front of a full length mirror and inspected herself. Except for her long hair she thought that she looked just like her mother did in the instruction videos.

"Thanks dad, Kara."

"So what do you think?"

She looked troubled and paused before she replied.

"I don't know dad. I know I've completed my training and when I get older I can become a Titan … it's just that … well … this is mom's costume … I think I need to come up with one of my own."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Garfield smiled. Coraline had kept her final design from him a secret and he was immensely pleased that she had chosen to pay tribute to her mother, while acknowledging him as well.

Nightwing beckoned the pair to approach him. As the stood before him they were still holding hands.

"This isn't a wedding. But something tells me that we'll be having one of those too eventually." He whispered to them. They both blushed and released their hands.

"Fellow Titans and superheroes, we are gathered here today to induct two new members into the Titans family."

A thundering round of applause filled the room.

"First of all I want to introduce Sachidev Patel who has chosen the hero name of Guru. As we all know Guru does not have super powers nor is he a super athlete. What he does have is a gifted intellect and he will be the team's intelligence and science officer. His role on the team will be similar to my friend Oracle's role in the Batclan."

Another round of applause was heard.

"Our other inductee was born into the Titans family. Coraline Logan has chosen to follow her mother's footsteps as a sorceress and a superhero. Like Guru she is also a genius, so we are adding a lot of brainpower to the team. Coraline will continue to use her given name."

Nightwing paused.

"Ever since we lost Raven there has been a void in our team, a wound that has never truly healed. While Raven is irreplaceable, Coraline brings her own gifts and talents to the team and will in some ways be able to partially fill that void while at the same time leaving her own mark on the Titans."

The assembly rose to its feet and began to applaud. Coraline bowed to them, acknowledging their recognition.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As expected a grand celebration followed the induction ceremony and it lasted for a few hours after which the guests departed. After the clean up was complete Garfield called Coraline and Sachi to his side.

"I think it's time Coraline. You're a Titan now, so you should be ready. You can come too Sachi. I know you're going to be my son-in-law some day, so you might as well see this."

"What are you going to show us dad?"

Changeling gestured them to follow him into the elevator. He pressed the button for the basement level.

"You're going to meet Andreas."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A little cliffhanger! I need to keep you on your toes!

And don't get mad at me for marrying off Changeling to Power Girl. Don't you think he's suffered enough?

And now for the mail bag:

**The Cretin** - "There we go. That was justice. The whole chapter kept me on the edge of my seat. The development you've given this story is amazing. Now I gotta cut this short and tell you I eagerly await the next chapter."

_Thanks, and here it is._

**LoveBassClarinet**-"So this story is pretty much the definition of epic. And the best part is, it has been completely and totally interesting the whole way through. I'm truly excited to see how this will end.

Is Sachi going to drop into a vat of radioactive material or is he just staying human?"

_NO radioactive powers for Sachi! _

**lpwriter4life** - "Love the Harry Potter items you put in here, but I wish they had been used for good. Also, way to kick ass Coraline!"

_LOL! I think you meant "Harem Potter" (AKA Negima!). Personally I think Negi is a lot more fun than Harry._

**TCNinja96** - "Finally, she's dead!

This chapter had me on the edge of my seat all the way through :)

I'm glad everyone's ends up ok at the end, and go Coraline for finally getting rid of that Japanese witch :p"

_Now Coraline gets to face Andreas._

**almostinsane** - "Great chapter! Good. Raven is avenged. I can't say that I'm surprised. I knew she would pay in the end. Thanks so much for writing this. And please do the alternate ending! God bless!"

_I'm warming up to the alternate ending. We'll see if we meet the target._

**black thorn angel** - "hey yay! hitomi is dead! im glad coraline killed her she desvered it i hope bb is ok though ... bye really loved the ch."

_I think that chapter was the apex of the story, but there is still more to come!_

**xXCanaryXx** - "Hiromi truly disgusts me. Chasing after a young girl and her friend plus his mom.

Thank god she's gone! :D

Wow,this chapter had its fill of many emotions. Sadness, Anxiousness (thats how i felt), It had its fill of Humor too as well.

My favorite line:

"a creature that looked like a Gordanian on steroids"

that was hilarious. I also like the fact how Hiromi was like:

"How tender! Aren't you a little young to have a girlfriend?"

I just laughed out loud at that.

For some reason that when I think of Sachi I think of an indian kid from my school named 'Shivam.' And Shivam is kinda a jerk o.o"

But, I'm excited to find out what is next in store? Where IS Andreas? Oh goodness Im so excited!"

_Andreas is still in the book in the vault in the basement._

**St. Jack of randomness** - "YES! Hiromi is finally DEAD! Now they just have Andreas to worry about... And to answer your question, it could totally work between Sachi and Coraline."

_I think Corie and Sachi make a nice couple._

**DC-lover** - "a friend of mine told me about this story now she has been telling me what has happening , etc i read a couple of chapters and i gotta say tou are a good writer , not everyone get my attention to keep reading but you somehow did it , i usually don't like OC because i'm a comic book reader and i know the true story about the titans . Coraline is just awesome the combination of her parents give her that interesting personality im definitely going to keep reading till the end its worth reading."

_Thanks! Check out some of my other stories!_

**FelynxTiger** - "Holy family issues how does this revelation will affect Coraline , it was necessary though , it buy sometime to Gar ,now how will she face all this D:

, i gotta tell my friends to review this i gotta see the other ending!

see ya next ch."

_Gar and Coraline still need to chat about Grandpa._

**Alexpv** - "Great chapter, I loved how Coraline gave Hiromi what for. I also love the "bond" that she and this Hachi boy are forming. Also, the way Hiromi kept torturing Cori with the truth about her grandfather; I thought that was a very good villain tactic.

However, I think it's a little odd that you seem to be encouraging the idea of BB hooking up with Power Girl of all people. She's cute but in my opinion, no one can ever replace Rae and her type of unique beauty and personality.

But that's just my opinion, you see. Great chapter by the way, I can't wait to see how BB tries to tell his daughter the truth about her mother's side of the family.

One final thing. To all the fans requesting a sort of alternate ending to the story; I may have to agree with them, if the original ending seems unsatisfying or has a few loose ends still.

But that is, again, just my opinion. Your story is still one of the best I've read on this site. Best of luck to you"

_I agree that no one could replace Raven. Still, BB needs some lovin'_

**GreenRock** - "Noooooooo . . . I will probably be the only one who will shed a tear for poor Hiromi; as a villain, she was kickass. It'll be sad to no longer have her in the story, but still, you cannot excuse the premeditated killing of a kid.

Looks as though it won't be long until this story comes to its end. It has definitely been a great story and here's fingers crossed that it can surpass Wild Man's review number."

_I'll miss Hiromi too. She was a better villain than Andreas._

**AllYourWafflesBelongToMe** - "OH YEAH! Hiromi died! The crazy b*tch finally DIED! Did I find the battle scene awesome? In truth, I didn't. I found it INSANELY AWESOME! I liked how Coraline was so brave and Sachi was soo sweet! It's sad though that this story's starting to end(I'm still holding on to that tiny glimmer of hope that Raven's gonna miraculously come back.)"

_OK, I'll spill the beans: She won't come back. Now in the alternate ending (if it gets written...) who knows?_

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "Hahaha finally Coraline avenged Raven's death with a precise spine shattering energy spear haha, now just let The Beast to rip Hiromi's body up to pieces and then cremate that whore. Now for the team to tell Coraline of Grandpa dearest and Coraline going into a crusading rampage against her Grandpa's followers and also time to burn the book with Andreas innit MWAHAHA, I'm a sick avenging b*stard lol

Just need intensive training from the team on Coraline."

_I think that Coraline isn't as vengeful as her mother (she is only ¼ demon after all), and we will see that next chapter._

**Shyguy1** - "If you put Power Girl and BB together, will Coraline get a little baby brother/sister? I really think that Hiromi should go fall in a ditch and drown or something. I'm so relieved that she's dead. Hasta luego to the bimbo from the black lagoon. :) BB will be alright. I know he will. Please let him be ok. I really don't want to see Coraline orphaned. Especially after something like this. And why is Hiromi looking for Andreas. There shouldn't be anyway she could save him. If I remember correctly, he should have been trapped in the book after a certain time spent inside. Anywho, awesome chapter. Keep Writing Space Cowboy"

_No more babies in the Logan household. I always wondered how the Kents disciplined Clark when he was a toddler? They must have been very clever farmers._

**pureawsomeness123** - "I'm sorry man its a great story by far, but when raven died and stayed dead that made me almost cry. I loved the story and read it from begining to the end but I'm bummbed about the ending. Pleeeeeaaaasssee write an alternate ending I'm begging you."

_We are getting close to the review threshold. Just 33 more and we are there! (I think we'll make it)_

**titanfan45** - "Go Coraline! She is going to make a great Titan someday!"

_Not only can she do what Raven does, she can cast Sagitta Magica. I could see Slade with a dark arrow up his butt!_


	36. Nightwing

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As the elevator descended into the basement Coraline recalled the day after she vanquished Hiromi Ayase. It was in their apartment and she was clearly shaken that day. Garfield had heard the entire conversation between her and Hiromi after he had finally opened the security hatch on the roof and hurried to safe room. Hiromi had told her everything and he knew that there was no way she was ready to learn the terrible truths.

He knew that there was much to talk about with his daughter and struggled with finding the right way to broach the topics. Fortunately for him she asked first. They were sitting on the couch and had just agreed that he would start dating Power Girl.

"Dad?" She asked somberly. "Am I a murderer?"

He gasped, that was not the question he was expecting.

"No, of course not! You did what you had to do."

"Did I really? Did I really have to kill her?"

Changeling sighed.

"Is that what you were trying to do?"

She nodded as tears dripped down her face. The freestanding full length mirror in the room suddenly cracked.

"I'm sorry dad."

"Well, Hiromi was trying to kill me."

"She was killing you."

"I know. Listen Coraline, you acted in self defense. If she killed me she would have gone after you next, she even said so."

The eleven year old looked away from her father.

"I enjoyed killing her dad." She sobbed. "Because I hate her! She killed mom and she was killing you. I aimed for her heart, I wanted her to die. And when the Sagitta Magica went through her I felt happy …"

Garfield bowed his head. It was unfair that an eleven year old girl should have to bear such a burden.

"I-I'm also glad she's dead." He stammered. "I hated her too. She took mom from us and she wanted to take you away from me as well."

Coraline lifted her tear stained face and looked at her father.

"Is it true … what she said about Trigon?"

"Yes." He replied in a whisper. "He is your grandfather."

Coraline began to bawl.

"Sweetie, it's OK, it's not your fault. No one holds that against you."

She pulled herself together.

"Poor mom!" She sobbed. "Her father was the most evil being in the universe."

He pulled her in and embraced her.

"It was a terrible burden for her. When we first met she even said that if we knew more about her that we wouldn't want her around, but she was wrong."

"How did she deal with it dad? I can feel the darkness lurking within me…"

"We all have our inner demons. I actually got to fight with mine once. It was tough as nails."

She pulled back and looked into her father's eyes.

"So how did you beat it?"

"Teamwork, we did a switch. Cyborg fought my demon, Starfire fought his and I fought hers. We totally kicked their butts."

"You beat Aunt Starfire's inner demon?"

"You'd better believe it!"

"Where was mom when this happened?"

Changeling recounted the entire story, starting with Slade's mysterious return from the dead up to the very end:

"We were beat, there was no way we could defeat Trigon."

"Aunt Starfire told me that mom beat him after her turned her into a little girl."

She paused and looked sad.

"Poor mom, she had to kill her own father to save the universe."

Coraline wrapped her arms around her father's waist.

"I'm lucky, I have a great dad."

He kissed the crown of her head.

"All kids should have a great dad." He replied as he ran his fingers through her hair.

She sniffled a few times before speaking again.

"She was looking for someone named Andreas."

The girl felt her father's body stiffen as well as sense his emotional discomfort.

"You don't have to tell me dad. I can sense …"

"He was the mastermind behind the curse."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Coraline felt a slight nudge in her ribs, coming from the side where Sachi was standing as the elevator continued to work its way down into the basement. She gave him a slightly irritated look that said 'what?'

He mouthed the words 'son-in-law' as he gave her a worried look. Garfield's ears twitched as he heard the gentle whisper.

"Yes Sachi, I said 'son-in-law'. I know you're still fondling her ears, so I expect that you have … long term intentions."

Sachi opened his mouth to reply, but it went dry and nothing came out.

"Dad! I asked him." She glared at her father.

"What? Coraline, you know better than that …"

"Lighten up dad! It's not like we're having sex. I like it when Sachi fondles my ears. It feels good."

The changeling frowned. Fondling his ears had always been Raven's favorite way of initiating foreplay with him, and it always worked. Always. In fact, whenever they started that way they had their best romps in the hay. It also worked that way now that he was remarried.

"I'm not a kid anymore dad. And just so you know, when we make out, I like to grab his butt, a lot."

Sachi winced as Garfield gave him a dirty look.

"Like I said, you're going to be my son-in-law someday. But until you slip a wedding band on her finger … you watch your hands. Understood?"

Coraline could sense the fear emanating from Sachi and was about to give her father a piece of her mind when Sachi spoke up.

"Mr. Logan, please believe me when I tell you this, I really respect Coraline. I mean, she's amazing. She's smart, beautiful, brave, talented and she has a good heart. I know that I'm really lucky to be her boyfriend, because she's way out of my league."

"Whoa! Stop! What did you just say? The last thing?"

Sachi looked confused at first.

"Uh, she's out of my league sir. I know that I'm not good enough for her."

Changeling looked melancholic and his attention drifted away.

"Dad, did you think you weren't good enough for mom?"

"Never mind."He replied before turning to Sachi. "I'm sorry I interrupted you Sachi."

The boy, who was now as tall as the green Titan, adjusted his eyeglasses and swallowed hard.

"Like I said, Corie is amazing, and I want to be with her forever."

Coraline's eyes grew wide upon hearing Sachi's declaration.

Changeling smiled and placed a hand on the young man's shoulder.

"You're a good kid Sachi. Look, I used to be young too, so I understand how the two of you feel. Just promise me you'll keep your hormones in check until the day arrives." He glanced over at his daughter. "That goes for you too Coraline."

She crossed her arms as the elevator doors opened.

"We're not stupid dad."

He gave his daughter a warm smile.

"No, you're not stupid. You're in love."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Garfield led them to a far corner of the basement. When she was younger Coraline often explored the basement, every excursion was a treasure hunt. Unfortunately she often got into things she shouldn't have, and the day she showed up in the common room with one of Slade's old masks was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Cyborg sealed off part of the basement with thick concrete walls that were secured with force fields. It was impossible to teleport past the barriers. Coraline had tried herself just a year ago, and failed to breach the shields. The hand reader next to the massive titanium doors would not recognize her palm.

"Go ahead." He told her. "It should open for you now. After all, you're a Titan now."

Coraline placed her palm on the reader.

"_**Coraline Logan … recognized. Access granted."**_

The massive doors groaned and slid open. The trio entered the enclosed area, which occupied half of the basement. Most of it was filled with industrial strength steel shelving. Many were filled with cardboard boxes. Other had canisters, a few of which she and Sachi recognized as containing dangerous substances such as plutonium and xenothium. Other shelves were stocked with strange looking weapons, some clearly alien in origin.

There were two vaults at the end of the room. One was labeled with a strange "X" logo that was crimson in color. The other one had no markings.

"X marks the spot?" She asked.

Changeling shook his head.

"That's were Nightwing keeps the biggest mistake he ever made. No, we want the other one." He said as he placed his palm on the reader. The vault made several loud clicking sounds after which something inside the door moaned until it stopped with loud click.

Garfield grabbed the door's heavy handle with both hands and pulled it open. As before there was a steel shelf with two books on it, one large and one small.

"It's about time somebody came by!" The large book complained in what Coraline thought was a very sensuous voice.

"Don't get your hopes up Malchior; they've only come to torment us." The small book replied with a slight Germanic accent.

Garfield picked up the small book and placed it on a small table in the vault. His expression was grim as he opened it. A full sized holographic image of the Austrian wizard appeared to rise out of the book.

"Well, if it isn't Beast Boy. You're looking a little thin on the top changeling, has it been that long since we last parlayed?"

"10 years Malchior." He replied dryly.

"10 long years Beast Boy. At least I haven't aged; I wish I could say the same for you. Oh and how is Raven doing? She's still dead I presume."

The hologram figure turned towards Coraline.

"Raven? But how?"

It was then that the sorcerer noticed the girl's green eyes.

"What have we here?" He asked in a delighted tone. "Tell me dear, who might you be and to what do I owe the honor?"

"My name is Coraline Logan, and you murdered my mother." She replied in a chilly voice that sent icicles down Sachi's spine.

Andreas grinned at her.

"Proof that crime does pay." He grinned at her. "But to be fair that honor belongs to my wife Hiromi. How is the old girl Beast Boy? Has she killed anyone else? Perhaps Cyborg or the alien princess?"

"She tried to kill us a few years ago." He snapped at Andreas.

"And I see she failed. Oh well, I suppose that she will get another chance…"

"She's dead." Coraline snarled. "Your minions will never hurt anyone I love ever again."

Andreas did not even look fazed by the news.

"Really? How did she die? I thought that the Titan code prohibited taking a life."

"I killed her!" She growled as her eyes split into 2 crimson pairs.

Sachi stifled a gasp upon seeing the sight. He looked at his father-in-law who did not seem surprised at all by his daughter's reconfigured face. Within moments Coraline's regular face returned.

Andreas said nothing while he pondered his next move.

"Well done, granddaughter of Trigon. Your mother resisted her father's call, but you, you have the potential to become a great demoness, even though you are only ¼ demon. Beast Boy is your father, am I correct Coraline? And what a pretty name, if I may say so."

"Shut up!" Garfield shouted as he slammed the book shut. "You can't have her, she belongs to us!"

Andreas began to laugh.

"Do not think for a minute that I am abandoned here changeling. I will be rescued, freed from this book. And once that happens I will exact my revenge on you and Raven. First I will take your daughter from you and make her mine. I will show her the true power of her demonic nature and once she assumes her grandfather's throne there will be nothing that can stop us."

"Never!" Garfield screamed. "You can't have her! I won't let you take her away from us!"

"Once I am free there will be nothing that can stop me. And I will be freed changeling, I guarantee it. It might not be tomorrow, maybe not for 20 years, but I will be rescued."

Sachi gasped as he saw Changeling baring his fangs at the book. There was murder in his eyes.

Without saying a word Garfield charged out of the vault, still clutching the book in his hands.

"Dad, wait!" Coraline shouted at him but he paid no heed to her.

The green Titan stopped in front of the Tower incinerator and pulled the small hatch door open. A fiery inferno raged inside the furnace, some of the flames would even pop out sporadically through the hatch, as if reaching for the book.

"Raven told me what would happen to you if the book was burned while you were still in it!"

"You wouldn't dare!" Andreas goaded him. "It would violate your code of ethics changeling. Besides that, you don't have the stones to do it."

Garfield glared at the book.

"But I'll bet that Raven would have. I wonder why she chose a weakling like you to be her mate …"

Garfield drew his hand back as he prepared the throw the book into the fiery holocaust. He then felt his hand was trapped and wouldn't respond to his commands. He turned his head and saw that it was trapped in obsidian light.

"Dad! Stop! There are fire demons in the furnace!"

Garfield's heart froze. Andreas had nearly tricked him into freeing him. The fire demons would have rescued the book and taken it to a Trigon loyal sorcerer who would have freed him from the paper bound prison.

A black gloved hand took the book from his hand while at the same time he shutdown the incinerator with his other hand. The flames died out and with them the fire demons disappeared.

It was Nightwing.

"Coraline, take your father back to your apartment and take care of him. I'll deal with Andreas."

The gray girl released her father's hand. He looked pale as he stared blankly at the now inert furnace.

"That bastard! He tricked me!" He moaned as Coraline and Sachidev led him to the elevator.

Nightwing watched them as the doors closed. He then turned his attention to the small book in his hands.

"I guess it's back to the vault." The book hummed at him.

"What have you got against them?" Nightwing complained. "Haven't you hurt them enough already?"

The book chuckled in reply.

"Until my master rules this universe my work is incomplete. And he demands revenge against Raven, and that includes her extended family."

Nightwing gripped the so book tightly that his fingers left marks on the paper cover.

"Raven was my dearest friend."

"Maybe you should pick new friends. This defeat is but a setback. I will personally see to it that the changeling and his daughter suffer to atone for Raven's treachery."

"Not on my watch!"

The book laughed.

"Mine is not an idle boast, Coraline will serve her grandfather, I will make sure of it even if it is the last thing that I do! There is nothing that a non magical mundane such as yourself can do to stop me!"

Nightwing frowned, as he knew that Andreas was right. He would eventually escape or be rescued. And if he did the consequences would be horrific, not just for the Titans, but for the whole world.

"You're wrong Andreas. I can stop you."

"And what will you use to stop me? Your bo staff, one of your boomerangs or one of your freezing or exploding disks? You can't stop me with those toys you fool! You might as well surrender now, for you are already defeated!"

Nightwing calmly reached into his utility belt and pulled out…

… a lighter, which with a single flick he ignited.

"Now wait a minute Nightwing, let's not be rash about this. Titans don't kill, we both know that …"

"We don't kill if it can be avoided." He corrected him.

"Why don't you put that lighter away and let us discuss terms of my imprisonment ..."

"There is nothing to discuss, you've made your intentions clear. You murdered Raven and now you're after Garfield and Coraline."

"Send me into exile!" The wizard pleaded. "Have the Tamaranian hide the book on a distant moon where no one will find me."

"They'd find you." He replied as he lit the book on fire.

"Please! Stop! I'll do anything. Don't send me to limbo! Anyplace but there!"

His face set in stone Nightwing held the book until it was engulfed in flames. He dropped it into a stainless steel dustbin, where it continued to burn.

"Please! Have mercy!" The book screamed one last time before falling silent.

Nightwing watched the book burn until all that was left were ashes.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_3 months later …_

The Titans were cleaning up after dinner. Jinx and Wally had moved out and founded Titans America, based in Central City, which suited the others fine as they took their 7 kids with them.

Coraline seemed a little nervous as she and Starfire loaded the dishwasher, which did not go unnoticed by the Tamaranian.

"Is something the matter Coraline?"

"Not really, I just have something I want to show everyone."

Starfire looked genuinely curious.

"What is it?"

Coraline smiled.

"It's a surprise. And I think tonight is the night."

Coraline picked up a glass and tapped it with a spoon. She soon had everyone's attention.

"Before everyone leaves I have an announcement to make. I would like you to stay here tonight."

"What for?" Her father asked.

"It's a surprise, but I can only do it once so I need you all to be here."

"Does this involve magic?" Nightwing asked.

"It does. It's something I have been preparing for months and I'm ready to do it tonight."

The room echoed with murmurs for a minute which soon subsided.

"Well little lady, I think you have an audience!" Cyborg announced.

Coraline beamed.

"I'll be right back!" She announced before phasing into the floor.

She returned the way she left, and was carrying a large box. Using her obsidian light she lifted a crystal ball out of the box and it floated to the now clean table where it landed softly.

"Everyone gather around, I'll need your help to do this."

The Titans gathered around table. Garfield was at her right and Sachi to her left. Power Girl stood next to her husband while Nightwing, Starfire and Cyborg completed the circle.

"Now everyone hold hands."

"Is this a séance?" Nightwing asked.

"You'll see."

As soon as everyone held hands Coraline's eyes began to glow white and a cool breeze was felt around the circle. Coraline raised her head and began to chant in a strange, guttural language. As she did this a misty image began to form above the crystal ball, at first it looked like a cloud and was about 5 feet tall. As Coraline continued to chant it began to take shape, losing its amorphous form. Everyone stared, trying to discern the shape that was forming, until Starfire recognized it before the others.

"Raven!"

At this point the image sharpened and it was evident to all that it was Raven's image they were seeing. She was wearing her signature outfit, except that it was all white. Finally the image became so sharp and lifelike that Changeling could no long contain himself.

"Rae! Is it really you?"

Raven smiled before answering. There was an aura of bliss and peace that surrounded her.

"It is I my dear Gar. How are you my beloved?"

"I-I'm fine" He stammered still unable to believe his eyes. "Are you a ghost?"

Raven let out a mirthful laugh.

"I guess you could call me that."

"Friend! You look so peaceful!" Starfire interrupted.

"When I died, my burden was lifted. I am no longer a demoness."

Raven then turned to the blond bombshell that was standing next to Garfield and smiled.

"Gar, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

The changeling grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, uh sure, uh Rae this is my wife Kara Zor L. Her hero name is Power Girl."

"Nice to meet you Kara. Gar's always had a soft spot for blonds."

Kara laughed.

"He's told me about Terra."

"Good, by the way Terra is here in heaven too. We're best friends. And thank you for being there for Gar. I was so worried that he would never remarry. I will admit that I am a little jealous that Gar has such a beautiful wife like you."

Power Girl smiled.

"Thank you Raven."

Raven then turned to Coraline.

"I was going to ask how my little girl is doing, but I now see you aren't so little anymore. Have I really been gone that long?"

Coraline began to weep. As she did Sachi tried to console her.

"Oh mom, I've missed you so much!"

"And I have missed you my child. I see your father has done a splendid job of raising you, and that you completed your training…"

"In just four years." Gar interrupted, the pride was clear in his voice.

"I am so sorry I could not be with you while you grew up my Coraline. But tell me, who is that handsome young man next to you?"

Coraline wiped her tears away.

"Mom, this is Sachidev Patel, he's my boyf … my fiancé. We've known each other for 5 years,"

"Nice to meet you Sachidev. Coraline, how old are you exactly?"

She smiled sheepishly.

"I'll be 16 next month mom. But don't worry, we won't marry until were both 18."

"Because Mrs. Patel and I won't give them permission to marry as minors." Garfield added.

"Dad! We've never even mentioned that!"

"Because you know I'll say no."

Raven laughed.

"Be patient Coraline. When the time is right you will wed."

Raven next turned her attention to the Graysons.

"Starfire, Richard I am so happy to see you're still happy and together."

The princess began to bawl.

"Oh my friend! I too have missed your company!" She composed herself and sniffled. "It has not been the same without you."

Nightwing also wiped a tear away.

"It's good to see you again, sis. Coraline is wonderful; you have every right to be proud of her. She's kind of out adoptive daughter."

"Thanks for being there for her in my place. I knew she was in good hands when I died."

Finally Raven turned to Cyborg.

"Hello Victor."

The tin man beamed back at his long lost friend.

"Hi Raven. You look great."

"Well, this image is just for your benefit. I am pure spirit now, but I do like my mortal image, much more now than when I was alive in fact. Why is there no one at your side Victor?"

Cyborg merely shrugged.

"I just haven't found the right girl." He joked. "It's not fair! Everyone is lucky at love except for me!"

"I'm sure she's out there waiting for you."

He rubbed the back of his neck.

"I suppose you're right. You always are!" He snickered.

"I am so happy that I was allowed to see you again my beloved ones, and that goes for my new loved ones Kara and Sachi. I wish you both much happiness with my Gar and my Coraline."

Raven's image began to fade.

"My time is up dear family. Always love each other and find happiness in the little and ordinary things in life. Do not miss me, for we will be reunited someday."

"Goodbye Rae." Gar whispered as Kara wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Goodbye mom! I love you!" Coraline shouted.

As the image vanished Garfield and Coraline felt a warmth in their hearts that slowly faded away.

The Titans stood quietly for several minutes until Cyborg finally broke the silence.

"I don't know what to say."

"I, I have a strange sensation of peace." Nightwing added.

"Come Richard, let us retire to our quarters."

He nodded his agreement, and after saying good night they left. Kara and Garfield did the same within a minute.

"I'd better call it a night too." Cyborg spoke up. "I guess you kids get the common room to yourselves. Don't do anything I would do. Good Night!"

"Good night Uncle Victor." Coraline called out as he left with a wave.

Sachi took Coraline's hand and drew her into a hug. She reciprocated and the two stood together silently. After a few minutes they released each other, and she turned to the table to collect her crystal ball. It was then that she noticed there was a picture frame next to it. She picked it up and examined it.

It was a picture of her when she was one year old. Her parents were seated on the old couch they had in the apartment, and she was in Raven's arms.

"I've never seen this one before." Sachi commented.

"That's because we don't have it."

Coraline noticed an inscription on the bottom right hand corner of the picture: "Coraline, Be Happy, I Love You."

Coraline clutched the picture frame to her chest.

"Thanks Mom. I love you too."

THE END

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

And that's it for the original version of the story. Before I write the alternate ending (the one where Raven DOESN'T die) I need to finish Reimagined, which I have left on the back burner.

No mail bag tonight except to thank all who have followed this story so far. When Reimagined kind of flopped I thought that maybe it was time to hang up the keyboard. To be honest I am still contemplating that, but for now I will focus on finishing Reimagined, making it the best story it can be (even if almost no one reads it).

Also, thanks again to FelynxTiger for creating a cool book cover for this story. The link to it is on my profile page. If you haven't seen it yet you need to check it out.

Thanks again for your support.


End file.
